Tips for a fast loading website

It is important to have a reasonably fast loading website so that viewers are not made to wait for a long time and to accommodate users on slow internet connections. Search engine algorithms also do take into consideration your load time.

Learn how to create and maintain a fast loading website with these useful tips on load time and website optimization. Follow these tips while designing, programming and maintaining your website:

Tips for a fast loading website

1. Optimize your HTML code

Make sure that your site doesn’t have any unwanted tags or broken links and that it is optimized for load time. Errors on your webpages can slow down your website – Make sure your website is error free!

2. Maximize content area

This not only reduces load time, it enhances the readability of your site.

3. Minimize use of graphics, Flash and scripts

These are the major contributors to the size of your web page, so try minimizing them. Try using background colors and fills instead of heavy images.

4. Optimize all heavy files

As much as possible optimize heavy graphics, Flash files and scripts. In editors like fireworks and flash you can see the various options in the preview panel to reduce the sizes.

More Tips for a fast loading website

5. Stick to simple designs Most fast loading sites have very simple designs

6. Spread out your content neatly

In case you find yourself having very long pages of content, break them down into separate logical sections and thus bring down the sizes of the individual pages.

7. Use Text Links instead of graphic buttons

Basically try to make use of text links as much as possible as they are easier to maintain. Use CSS Styles for text links to make them as attractive as buttons.

8. Use Server Side Include (SSI) files

SSI files once called from the web server reside in its cache so on subsequent requests they load faster. Use them where ever possible.

9. Use Div tags instead of Tables

Using Div tags instead of tables for your design is what you need to do for better load time and total control over your layout. It also ensures that it is scalable for whenever you want to make design changes in the future.

10. Check your W3C standard validity and Load time regularly

To maintain an excellent website you must give thought to how to improve your website on an almost daily basis! Maintain an error free website and tweak it regularly.