Slow Website? Here's How To Make Your Website Faster

Have you ever been on the road, and the person in front of you is driving so slow, it feels like they’re practically crawling like the Flintstones?

Flinstones GIF

It’s frustrating, super frustrating.

On the web, slow websites give people the same experience and feeling: it annoys them. The only difference is that online, people can easily click the back button or ‘X’ button, and get rid of your business/offer/website instantly.

Having a fast website is important. So how can you make your company’s website faster? There are two big things you can do, and a few other minor adjustments that help increase your site’s speed:

1. Get Better Hosting

Not all hosting plans are created equal. While Shared Hosting plans are great to start out with, as your company grows you are going to want dedicated and higher performance hosting.

If you’re using WordPress, we use (and HIGHLY) recommend WP Engine. Switching the hosting to WP Engine helped increase my personal blog’s website speed by 90.03%. For WordPress websites, these guys are the best. If your website isn’t a WordPress website – or if you’re just interested in researching some other options – check out Synthesis or dedicated hosting on Bluehost.

2. Optimize your images

When you upload any rasterized images to your website, it’s best to compress and crop the image to the exact dimensions that that image will be displayed at one the site.

For example, lets say you have a 1500×1500 raster image of your office building. The spot on your website (where this image will be placed) is only 800×500. If you upload this raster image at it’s current size, it will slow down your website, because the browser will have to reformat it to correct dimensions (which slows your website’s load time). It is best to first crop/resize the office building photo to 800×500 – the exact dimensions it will be displayed on the website – and then upload the image to the website.

Optimizing images for your website, by compressing and appropriately resizing, will greatly help improve your website’s speed.

Other important factors in a fast website:

Clean, minified code
JavaScript in the footer, not the header
Using a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
For WordPress, only use plugins you absolutely need, and try to keep it to no more than ten

It’s also a good idea to check your speed before (and after) you make any changes. This way, you’ll know what’s truly working in improving your site’s speed. Free website speed tools like Pingdom, Google PageSpeed Insights, and GTMetrix are great for this.

Your Action Plan:

Run your website through 2 of the speed test tools above
Research hosting plans, go with a higher performance hosting plan
Optimize images for your website
After steps 1-3 are complete, then go through the bullet point listed above and knock out these tweaks as well (these are important, but don’t have as big an impact as hosting and optimized images.)

What have you found to be beneficial in improving your website’s speed? Leave us a comment and let us know your experience, and feel free to ask any further questions as well! We’ll do our best to answer each one.

Image Source: Giphy

Danny Hochstatter

2018-06-06T20:46:32+0000

Roman is a quality guy who provides quality work. I particularly enjoy his contribution to the creative process and his suggestions on how to maximize the effect of those precious marketing dollars. His work speaks for itself. Summit Digital Marketing is the real deal.

Deborah Davis

2018-04-10T15:14:14+0000

Was very pleased with Summit digital marketing and Roman helped us through the site.

Tim Newell

2018-03-17T16:40:38+0000

Working with Summit has been such an awesome experience. Your knowledge and command of digital marketing has really helped us build our online presence and most importantly generate new business!

Mike Ruman

2018-03-12T22:55:41+0000

These guys are amazing with SEO, PPC (Google AdWords), and more. I’ve seen increases across the board. Give them a shot, they won’t let you down.

W. Jay Moon

2018-02-28T04:00:58+0000

I am very pleased with the work that Roman does as well as his positive attitude and approach. You can count on him to get the job done with excellence and He provides creative solutions that are very helpful. I highly recommend him for your next job - you will not be disappointed!

Jeff Steffen

2018-02-27T21:28:24+0000

Roman is phenomenal and his service offers incredible ROI. He makes it quick and easy for customers to find you and delivers results in a way that is easy for you to understand. Very professional service and I would recommend it to any business.

Cody Burch

2017-11-17T02:27:34+0000

Summit Digital Marketing is the real deal. Roman is a smart marketer and overall a really good dude. I only work with people that bring me joy and value and I have 0% tolerance for aggravation. THAT is why I love Summit - they get it right and make it fun along the way.

Jo Lisa McKenzie

2017-10-02T16:11:37+0000

Thank you Roman for your expert help in putting Sanctuary on the map and making it quicker and easier for others to find us. Your work was excellent and very appreciated. You are knowledgeable yet delightful to work with.

Karrie Pece

2017-08-26T01:35:42+0000

Chad Cox

2017-05-23T16:41:03+0000

Roman, thank you so much for your heart to serve and your mind for excellence in business and online marketing. You're truly outstanding at what you do!

William O'Neal

2017-05-20T13:15:27+0000

Roman has done such a great promoting my business, O'Neal's Woodworking, and developing my website.

Jessica Lyne' Ross

2017-03-14T21:32:35+0000

We've been working with Roman for the past few months and the results have been absolutely AMAZING. He's a delight to work with, knows what he's doing and gives you the results to back it up. If you're looking to really get the best ROI on your digital marketing efforts, Roman is your guy.

Pancho Tom Oscaraldo

2017-01-27T20:44:12+0000

Summit DM and specifically Roman R. has been a great addition to my team. Roman's is an excellent listener, speaks his mind, gives great coaching and overall is focused on the success of the project. I will continue to call on Summit and Roman in the future. T. Oswald, CEO, GoldKing Media

Ralph Boral

2017-01-27T15:45:58+0000

Roman has always been very responsive and has brought an expertise in social marketing the company has been lacking. Wonderful to work with.

Carrie Feiszli Glod

2017-01-27T14:03:57+0000

Summit has done an outstanding job with handling our account. We highly recommend them.

Victoria Dostert Pradel

2017-01-27T00:45:18+0000

Summit has done a great job getting our company business. They are really knowledgeable and get quick results. Really easy to work with.

Ida Speyer

2016-12-19T02:30:19+0000

Since Summit started advising us on our paid search, we have seen our ROI more than double. They have offered very valuable advice on our landing pages, campaigns, new channels and budget. We have been more than satisfied with the professionalism of Summit, as well as their incredibly friendly staff who go above and beyond to help us reach good results!

Sarah McDonald Dawes

2016-12-12T21:14:40+0000

Full of integrity and very dependable. Always willing to work with us for the greatest results.

Glynanne Albinger

2016-12-04T01:39:06+0000

I have been extremely satisfied with the design of my website. Summit went above and beyond to make everything happen so perfectly! I would recommend this company to all!!!

Slow Website? Here’s How To Make Your Website Faster

1. Get Better Hosting

2. Optimize your images

Other important factors in a fast website:

Your Action Plan:

About Roman Randall

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