HostSailor
Well-known member
Design
Design considerations for a fast and efficient website include:- Minimizing HTTP processing requests. As a page is loaded, the various components like layout, images, and scripts downloading. Each element has an associated HTTP Look at the page structure and see how HTTP requests can be minimized.
- Reducing file access requests. Simply put, the cleaner the better. “Minify” your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. Combine them where possible.
- CSS and JavaScript files. How you load these files can have a major effect on speed. Load them asynchronously, so several can load at the same time.
- Defer JavaScript loading.
Other design considerations include the “KISS” principle. Simple pages load and process more quickly. Very often, particularly when techies design a page, it includes lots of flashy stuff with videos and jazzy artwork. They take time to load and process. Make sure your pages are clear and deliver the message you want to deliver to your customer. Having to search the page for the “Next” button, or being distracted by on-screen irrelevancies can make users click away. That’s another reason for using “Design Thinking”. Having users involved in the design will make sure that the overall look and feel and each page design stays relevant to the message.
Try to use static rather than dynamic page building.
Time to First Byte
One item that is often overlooked is the time it takes for your page to start loading. Customers don’t look at a blank or static screen for more than a couple of seconds before moving on. The “Time to First Byte” or TTFB is how long you wait before seeing the page starting to load.Starting a Page loading is a three-step process: Finding the page using a DNS lookup; the server processing the request; the page load starting on the requestor’s screen.
In general, slow TTFB is caused by network issues, dynamic content creation, web server configuration, or traffic. Having sorted out TTFB, the focus is then on the operation of the website itself.
What does the Future Hold?
An unintended consequence of upgrading one element of the fast web hosting environment could have adverse effects elsewhere. MSPs like HostSailor are continually looking at their own infrastructure configurations and service providers to maximize levels of service and maintain fast web hosting services.Currently, issues such as DNS and browser caching, file compression, and identifying duplications of effort are under continual review.
Overall, maintaining fast web hosting performance is challenging, particularly in a shared resource environment, but achieving it will have a positive effect on your organization’s performance.
If you are unsure of your current configuration or need to move to a fast web hosting environment, talk to us.