An awesome page on Kinsta.com shows why speed is king for websites. One statistic is that 74% of visitors would leave a mobile site if it takes over 5 seconds to load. That’s a lot of frustrated visitors and lost revenue. Thankfully this can be fixed.
First off, why do visitors seem to abandon slow websites so quickly? Kinsta explains that one of the reasons is that delays give the appearance of being—unresponsive. This makes visitors feel less in control of their browsing experience. But speedy webpages give that sense of control, and visitors are free to start using the webpage sooner. The result: visitors stick around longer and are more likely to buy (Yay!).
Some common speed drags mentioned are:
- Slow or overcrowded website hosting
- Too many ads and affiliate links
- Boatload of plugins
- Unoptimized images, video, and audio
- Incompatible media (looking at you, Adobe Flash)
Thankfully the post goes on to shows how to test your website and improve website load speeds with a handful of short chapters on each topic. Check it out ‘cuz it’s an essential read.
Beginner’s Guide to Website Speed Optimization | Kinsta via eWebDesign email newsletter