April 13, 2011 04:21
A few year ago 100KB was regarded the high watermark for single web page size. Designers and developers were encouraged to keep pages “light” to help optimize the site for faster load times. Today, thanks in part to the availability of fast broadband internet, designers and developers rarely adhere to any page “size” restrictions. Nevertheless, there are still several reasons why web designers and developers should worry about page sizes:
.jpg)
- Users Perception: All users notice page load times, either consciously or subconsciously. According to research slow sites annoy users and can even reduce sales conversions. It is estimated that the e-commerce industry loses USD1.1 to USD1.3 billion yearly because of slow load times.
- Mobile Web: Use of mobile devices (smart phones and tablets) to access the web has grown exponentially. These devices usually have slower connectivity and sluggish client-side rendering. This makes load time crucial.
- Audience Factors: A website is usually designed for a global audience. However not all locations have equivalence in internet speeds. Some locations especially in Asia and Africa do not have access to fast broadband internet, and may not have the same for many years to come – therefore striking a balance between faster and slower internet connection is of major concern.
- Search Engine Optimization: Google analyses webpage speeds and can penalize sites with slow load times.
Fortunately, there are a number of browser extensions that can help web designers and developers spot technical holdups with regard to load times. The most popular of which are Google’s Page Speed for Firefox/Firebug and Chrome, and Yahoo’s YSlow for Firefox/Firebug.
Apart from these browser extensions, Google has recently released Page Speed Online, an experimental tool that provides a list of helpful tips to improve website performance. Designers and developers can use the tool to see a list of high, medium and low priority suggestions (as seen in the above image).
In essence, Page Speed Online mimics a real browser, and uses a web-kit based renderer to download and parse HTML, JavaScript, CSS, images and other resources. The results of the test are analyzed using the reporting function of Page Speed Online browser extension and presented online. Apart from the “desktop browser” mode, Google’s Page Speed Online can also be used to analyze and make suggestions for mobile devices.
Google Page Speed Online is a great tool for quick and hassle free testing of website load times. The tool is free, and users do not have to sign up or download anything. In others words it’s a gem of a tool designed to help amateurs and professional alike to improve website load time/performance.
