Almost all of us love to spend several hours each day on the Internet. Many of us use the digital platforms due to professional reasons, and then there are many who use the Internet for entertainment and other work. There are so many platforms on the Internet that attract the attention of the users. With the passage of time, the number of such people have skyrocketed who use social media platforms. Unfortunately, as many options are available today, the patience level of the netizens has gone down drastically. So, if a website fails to open due to any technical reason or its loading time is very high, there is a big possibility that the user will simply move to a new website or app.
In the modern era, all of us live in a digital atmosphere where the user experience (UX) matters a lot. In case a page is taking very long to respond, there is a big possibility that the user experience will get affected drastically. Hence, it is the duty of the UX designer to ensure that the website loads quickly.
A good UX experience is very important
If the UX experience is good, the netizen will return again and again. So, it can be said that the UX carries a lot of value. It is not wrong to say that the UX is like a guide that helps the netizen to move in the digital world. You can easily get the desired information without facing any frustration. If the UX experience is positive, you will feel like using the website again and again. In fact, a satisfied user also tells about their experience to other netizens. On the other hand, if the UX is bad, your experience is likely to be very frustrating, and you will surely avoid using that specific website or the app.
Connection between loading time and the user experience
The first impression
All of us know the value of the impression. We have frequently heard that the first impression is the last impression. Websites with fast loading time are smooth and preferred by everyone. If loading time is excessive, the netizen simply moves away because their time is valuable. People stay on a website only if they get impressed. Once the netizen gets impressed, they stay and explore more.
Better user engagement
Considering the aspect of the user engagement is also very important. In the modern era, it is not easy to keep someone interested and engaged. If a website is loading very slowly, certainly it will not be in a condition to engage someone. When people lose interest, they simply switch to other websites. When the netizen gets bored or annoyed, they are likely to leave to do something else.
Conversion rate
The conversion rate can be poor if the website is loading very slowly. Suppose you are browsing through a slow e-commerce website, then there is a big possibility that you will get frustrated and simply leave without purchasing anything. So, for a slow website, it is very difficult to engage the customers and sell them any product or service. On the other hand, if the website is smooth and loads quickly, the customers are likely to stay, browse through more options and eventually buy something. Hence, it can be said that a fast website helps the business to flourish.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engines such as Google, prefer fast-loading websites. They put them higher on the list when netizens search for something. A fast-loading website can be quickly accessed and used by the netizens.
There are some optimization strategies that can help in reducing the page loading time:
- Optimize the images: Please reduce the sizes of the images, and it will help the website to load quickly and reduce the bandwidth consumption.
- Use the browser caching: The frequently used data must be used in the cached memory so that the data loads quickly whenever you succeed in retrieving the same.
- Minimizing HTTP requests: Please note that all the HTTP requests also increase the loading time of the page. So, if the number of the requests is reduced, it can significantly contribute to improving the page speed.
- Reduce plugins: If numerous plugins are installed, some issues are likely to appear. Certainly, the plugin can slow down the performance of the website.
- Enable the GZIP compression: By using the GZIP compression, it is possible to wrap up all the web objects in a single container. It can reduce the size of the data transferred between the visitor’s browser and the server.
- Using the content delivery network (CDN): With the help of CDN, it can be ensured that the website’s key content is properly cached and is ready on servers throughout the world. This helps in reducing the page-loading time, irrespective of where your website user is.
- Reducing the redirects: Each time the user makes a request to a page, the browser needs to redirect to the final destination. So, if there are numerous redirect requests, it will take longer for the page to get loaded.
