Slow loading websites are a big turn-off for visitors. A recent report found that 10 seconds of delay is too long for most users, and even repeated delays of a few seconds each is enough to turn off users permanently.

If people have to wait too long for a site to load then there’s a high chance they’ll just head off to another website offering a similar product or service. I mean, would you wait in a long queue at a check-out in a supermarket when there was a shorter, quicker option a few metres away?

But what can you do if your website is slow loading? And why is this happening? Here we bring you a few tips:

* You’ll find that websites tend to be slower at loading during their test phase, so you might need to wait until the website is up and running to find out if this is still a problem. If so, ask your web designer to take a closer look.

* It’s not just large image files that can cause problems with the speed of websites, but these days too many fancy widgets, which are often the last thing on the page to load, can slow things down.

* Third party logos are also thought to be another problem.

How to improve load time?

* Remove unnecessary Flash elements

* Use CSS instead of tables

* Keep HTTP requests to a minimum

* Compress images

* Avoid third party, slow-loading ads

WebCreationUK web designers are highly experienced in designing fast-loading websites. Why not speak to them about any problems you have with your website?

Tags: web design, Website Design

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 8th, 2010 at 10:13 am and is filed under Business, Website Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Posted by WebCreationUK You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.