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When the internet first started to gain popularity, it wouldn’t be rare to have to wait a long time for a website to load. Neither the devices used to access them, nor the technology used to host them, were particularly good and so the early internet users had no choice but to learn patience if they wanted to take advantage of the internet’s many other advantages.

It is a commonly held theory that for every four seconds that it takes an eCommerce website to load, on average, approximately a quarter of its online visitors and, despite this shocking statistic, eCommerce websites are on average 16% slower than they were at this time last year!

What’s Crippling Your eCommerce Website’s Load Speed?

Some of the more common problems, which tend to affect an eCommerce website’s loading speed, include:

1.A Low-Quality Or Mediocre Web Hosting Service – One of the simple realities of running an eCommerce website is that, occasionally, you will receive minimal traffic and at other times your traffic rate will spike.

Ensuring that your web host is reliable and flexible, means that your site will stay up even when enjoying heavy-usage and that you can customise your site to fit act the way you want it to.

Attaching a dedicated IP address to your website can ensure a much faster response during periods of high traffic load, and most eCommerce website solutions will come with a dedicated server, meaning that you will not need to purchase additional web hosting provisions.

2.Extensive Numbers Of DNS Lookups – If you have embedded media into your site, like YouTube videos, a live social media feed, or other content, your site needs to access multiple DNSs (domain name systems) which can increase the amount of time it takes to load an individual page, and an entire website.

3.Too Many HTTP Requests, Including Broken Links – A website can be thought of, essentially, as a collection of data files which need to be collated in order to create the website. Imagine that every data file needs to be loaded individually, and that every time your eCommerce website needs to load up a piece of data, it has to access and display that data file before the page can load.

Broken links on your page (links which relate to broken pages or web pages which don’t exist), still require the HTTP to load. Simply, they offer nothing and are a waste of your website’s loading time. Regularly check that your site is free of broken links, and that your site isn’t being held back by inefficient HTTP.

4.Neglecting To Use Browser Caching – Websites have static components, like images and headers, which can be cached in one’s browser for further use. In the event of a return visit, these saved components enable the site to load faster as the can be retrieved from the server, rather than accessed through a HTTP link.

5.Forgetting To Update Your CMS, Or A Limited Capability CMS – You should always ensure that your CMS (content management system) is as up to date as you can make it, and continuously improving and adapting your CMS for the maximum efficiency.

6.Neglecting To Compress Images – Compressing your images to an efficient size, or by changing their format to one more appropriate for the image itself (.png for graphic, .jpeg for colour-rich images and .gif for animated images) can massively decrease the memory they require and encourage a much quicker loading time.

7.Missing A Responsively Designed/Mobile Optimised Solution – Speed is even more vital on mobile than it is on desktop, with users expecting a quick, efficient interaction as they are often on the move or snatching a few moments whilst waiting for something else to happen.

Ensuring that your eCommerce website is either responsively designed or offers a mobile optimised alternative can increase the loading speed on mobile devices by a huge margin, along with creating an overall improved user experience.

Intuitive, Professionally Design eCommerce Websites From Store Express

At Store Express, we specialise in creating and maintaining bespoke eCommerce websites and solutions for a wide range of business in a variety of industries. With years of experience, we have proven that we are more than capable of providing business-centric, high-performing eCommerce websites which are optimised for search engine results pages and encourage high-conversion rates.

For more information email our friendly support staff at sales@storeexpress.co.uk or contact us at 0845 050 3500.

Ecommerce Solutions https://www.storeexpress.co.uk/images/logo.png 0845 050 3500 is rated 5 stars based on 72

Where to find us

Store Express

Building 4 Millars Brook Molly Millars Lane Wokingham Berkshire RG41 2AD United Kingdom