As mobile users, one of our greatest pet peeves is navigating a site that won’t load. If you’re trying to complete a purchase, fill out a form or access vital information, sluggish speeds can be extremely frustrating to deal with. In most cases, it can make or break a relationship between a customer and a business.
In today’s digital marketplace, there is more competition now than ever before. If you’ve spent time browsing mobile sites, you’ll know how easy it is to divert your attention elsewhere. According to Google/SOASTA, just a 1-second delay can alter conversion rates by 20%. It seems outrageous that one second could have such a high degree of impact, but this is the reality of living in a digital world. As technologies progress, we expect more from our experience. If a certain site doesn’t deliver, it stands out like a sore thumb. We simply move on to the next, and there are numerous other businesses who are eager to receive us.
So: what can you do to improve your mobile site’s speed? In truth, it’s much simpler than it sounds. If you’re struggling with slow speeds, don’t fret. There are several ways to resolve the issue, and this thorough guide should help you get the results you want quickly.
1. Perform an Assessment
The only way you know where you stand is to assess your current situation carefully. Google’s “Test My Site” feature is a free and useful way to tell how your website is functioning. Additionally, it reports a variety of solutions and performs a direct comparison to other sites. It even tells you how upping speeds could increase your profits.
Another great way to assess your site is to survey users. Have them rate the site, describe their experience and explore possible areas for improvement. After all, the only way to fix your mobile site’s speed is to first know where the problem is. Is the entire site operating slowly, or is it just happening at checkout? Does the issue apply to every user?
2. Lower Page Weight
Your page weight should always be less than 1,000 KB for mobile devices. A slow-loading site increases the likelihood that users won’t wait. Optimizing your pages should, therefore, be a top priority. There are a few easy ways to do this: you could try resizing your images, CSS files, JS files, and HTML. Another option is to limit custom fonts that take up too much weight, or at least convert the files to a WFF2 format. Wherever you can compress, do so.
3. Implement a Search Box
If you place a search box on your site’s front page, the tool will immediately guide your visitor where they need to go. This will limit the number of users who leave your site within a matter of seconds. Bouncing should be avoided at all costs. Even if your homepage is running a little slow, users will quickly be able to enter a few keywords into the search bar and click through to the next location.
4. Improve Checkout Experience
Picture yourself checking out at a store. After waiting in line, you’re ready for the process to be as smooth as possible. The same thing applies to online commerce. While we don’t have to wait in line, we’ve spent plenty of time scrolling through potential purchases. By the time your customers navigate to the checkout screen, they’re ready to finish up and move on without any hassle.
A long checkout process with too many pages will only slow down your site and raise bounce rates. Most customers would rather abandon their purchases than struggle with a slow site, as they’ll want to avoid any potential problems with their order. There should be no confusion as to whether an order was processed or not. Try to use a system that recalls past payment information or utilize PayPal to speed up the process.
5. Limit Image Carousels and Repetitive Data
Image carousels can seem like a fun way to keep your visitors invested. However, users will most likely only take notice of the first image before moving on. Carousels take up a considerable amount of page weight, so removing these is an efficient way to boost your mobile site’s overall speed. Redundant coding is something you want to limit as well. Do several areas of your site accomplish similar goals? Why not condense them? The key to a successful site is providing products and information in a succinct way. If anything on your site doesn’t serve a purpose, remove it.
6. Elevate Server Response Time
Ideally, your server should start transmitting bytes within 200 milliseconds of a visitor application. If your server isn’t responding fast enough, that could be part of the problem. First, try enhancing your server’s software or configuration. If this doesn’t work, consider limiting the number of resources your site requires or improving your web hosting service.
7. Know Your Content Hierarchy
It is critical to determine which visible content is most important to your brand in order to improve your site and increase your speed. This content should load first. When your user navigates to a page, they need to be able to access its key features; everything else can come second. If you’re currently running a sale, for instance, an image or block of text linking to the sale should load before other aspects of the site. Code your pages so that the server directs which information should be presented right away.
We Are Here to Help Grow Your Business Online and Through SEO
Working with a professional digital marketing company is the best way to make the most of your website and all that Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn ads, Google Analytics and other digital advertising platforms have to offer. To learn more about the best digital marketing strategies for your company and reach a bigger audience than ever before, work with Gauge Digital Media. For a quote or to schedule a call, contact us at (443) 201-7709.
