INTRODUCTION
According to tooltester, the average web page load time is 2.5 seconds on a desktop and 8.6 seconds on mobile. Today’s internet users are conditioned to expect near-immediate results, and anything outside of their expectations can negatively impact the user experience and conversions such as lead generation for your B2B business.
In fact, the average bounce rate (or site abandonment) starts to increase dramatically once the page takes more than five seconds to load, increasing from 7% after one second to 38% after five seconds.
Plus, a slow-loading website negatively affects your search engine rankings.
Following are some tips on how to make your B2B website load more quickly.
ANALYZE THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR WEBSITE
Before making changes, you should use a tool like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to see how your site is performing on both desktop and mobile. Enter your website URL to get started. You will then see various insights, including speed index (how quickly content is displayed when it loads) and first contentful paint (a metric that measures how long it takes for the first content to appear on the page), among others.
Each PageSpeed insight includes color-coded values or scores that indicate if that parameter is performing well, average or poorly. You also will see various recommendations on how to improve website performance, such as changing the image format and reducing unused JavaScript or unused CSS.
Monitor your performance from time to time and prioritize the fixes that can have the greatest impact on loading speed.
LIMIT HOMEPAGE ELEMENTS
The homepage of your B2B website is essential for grabbing the attention of potential leads. However, many companies tend to overload the page with visual components or long, scrolling pages, which can greatly increase the loading time of your site.
Keep it simple with an above-the-fold image or video and a call-to-action button, along with a statement about what your B2B company offers and some key products or services. You also could include some recent blog posts, events or company news. Avoid extensive use of slideshows, animations or auto-play videos that can hinder your site speed.
If you use custom CSS on your homepage or throughout the site, make sure the code aligns with the latest web development standards and best practices.
Finally, prioritize mobile in your design, as most internet users use their phones or tablets to navigate the web.
USE PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING PLUGINS
Add relevant plugins to optimize and improve the speed of your website. For instance, you can add performance plugins that implement caching (or data storing/delivery), improve the loading speed or functionality of your theme or optimize media.
There are also plugins that integrate with content delivery networks (CDNs) if your site or host does not have a built-in CDN option. If you are not familiar, a CDN can greatly improve website loading speed by storing data for larger files on global network servers, which then delivers content to users more efficiently by using the server that is closest to them.
Make sure to avoid using an excessive number of plugins. Too many can reduce the loading speed of your website. You also should only use plugins that are compatible with your site. If your B2B business uses WordPress, you will be able to see which plugins work with your site as you search.
Make it a habit to keep all of your active plugins up to date to ensure they remain compatible with newer browsers and devices. Remove plugins that are inactive, have duplicate functions (e.g., multiple lead form plugins, multiple photo gallery plugins) or are not essential to the look or function of your site.
OPTIMIZE IMAGES AND VIDEOS
Images and videos help enhance the appearance of your website, but they can also take the longest to load. That’s because they tend to be larger files compared to other elements of your website. Optimize these components to improve page load speed without impacting the user experience.
For images, select a WebP format whenever possible. This type of file, which was developed by Google, is designed to strike a balance between quality and file size, and is supported by modern browsers. If needed, you can use an online file converter to transform your JPEG or PNG image to WebP.
If a WebP file format isn’t possible, use PNGs and JPEGs only when appropriate. For instance, JPEGs should be used for photos or colorful images, as they are smaller than PNGs. Meanwhile, PNGs should be used to preserve transparency (JPEGs cannot) for elements such as logos or icons. Avoid using GIFs unless absolutely necessary for an animation.
In all cases, aim to reduce the image dimensions as much as possible without impacting its quality. You also should use 72 DPI resolution (ideal for online images) and compress images to reduce file size. Never exceed the recommended file size or dimensions for your website, as this can significantly impact loading time.
For video, use an MP4 file format. It is supported by most devices and browsers and delivers a high-quality experience without taking up too much storage on your website. Like images, you should compress videos to reduce the file size and promote faster page loading.
You also can implement “lazy loading” for your videos, which is a technique that only loads video content if the user interacts with it.
Make sure to prioritize your images and videos by only including those that are critical to the user experience or appear above the fold.