Companies are constantly looking for ways to improve the performance of their websites and attract more potential customers. And while it is crucial to give ample focus to elements like graphics and images, content, and user experience, you should not forget the importance of website speed.

Offline, a few seconds may not seem to matter. But online, even one second can have a profound impact. For example, roughly 50 percent of visitors expect websites to load in just two seconds or less while 40 percent will abandon a website that fails to completely load beyond three seconds. Each second of delay can translate to seven percent of conversion. Conversely, each increment of increase in website speed increases conversion rates by about 70 percent. Simply put, website speed contributes greatly to a better user experience.

Even search engines like Google utilize website speed and load time as ranking factors. Indeed, search engines look at different factors like domain authority and the number and quality of back links. But when all things are held equal, website speed can spell the difference when it comes to conversion and dwell times.

How do you improve website speed and loading times? A Prescott SEO expert lists the factors that you need to look at.

Size

The smaller the size of your website, the faster it will load. Ideally, your website’ size should be no more than three megabytes. Make sure that you regularly check the loading time of your website, preferably at least once a month, and target a loading time of two to three seconds.

Images

Using images with bigger file sizes can make your website sluggish. Make sure that the images you use do not go over 100KB. It is also beneficial to store images on your server instead of external sites. Whenever possible, opt for images instead of widgets.

Plugins

When it comes to plugins, be picky and settle for a small number of useful ones, including image compression and caching plugins. If you are not using a particular plugin, remove it from your website.

Themes

If you are using a theme for your website, choose one that is light and loads quickly.

Content

Keep revisions of posts to a minimum, or if you can, simply avoid revisions. Eliminate pingbacks and trackbacks.

Others

It certainly helps if your hosting provider can deliver fast speed. You might also want to consider using a content delivery network to increase website speed and loading speed. Whenever possible, avoid the use of external scripts. Always check for updates of your CMS, plugins and themes and use the latest versions.