The best thing you can do for your business to succeed in 2023 is have a fast, mobile-ready website. With mobile browsing continuing to gain popularity, securing optimal website performance across all devices is crucial, writes Ricky Blacker, WordPress Evangelist, WP Engine.

A slow website puts customer satisfaction and lead conversions at serious risk, with seven out of ten consumers identifying slow loading times as their top frustration when shopping online.

Fortunately, improving website speed isn’t difficult and can significantly improve online conversions. In fact, nearly half (46 per cent) of Australian shoppers state they don’t care where they buy from, as long as the website delivers a smooth digital experience!

Here are three quick and actionable ways to speed up your site across all devices.

1. Use a lightweight, mobile-responsive theme

Your theme forms the foundation for your website. A ‘heavyweight’ theme that is packed with images and fancy animations may seem impressive, but it means nothing if it slows down your website. Regardless of what other plugins you install, a theme with ‘bloatware’ will hinder optimal website performance.

Rather than opting for a feature-packed theme, choose a minimalist one with basic functions and then customise as needed.

Another key consideration is mobile responsiveness. Mobile-responsive themes will adapt to devices of different display sizes and resolutions, while still allowing you to add or remove elements not relevant to mobile viewing. This helps minimise ‘bloat’ and therefore speed up the browsing experience.

Some managed WordPress hosts will recommend or provide website themes to simplify the process. For example, WP Engine partners with StudioPress to offer a wide range of lightweight and mobile-responsive themes to all agency partners.

2. Implement lazy loading

Lazy loading can help create the impression of a faster website by loading content gradually and as needed.

Usually, websites will call for content and information from your server all at once. However, if your website has a lot of images, this can overload the system and cause slow loading times. When you implement lazy loading, placeholders are created for non-visible content, and the full image only loads when the user scrolls down the page. This technique improves the user experience by keeping them engaged and signalling that the page is loading.

Lazy loading can also enhance search engine ranking by improving the largest contentful paint (LCP) component of Google’s Core Web Vitals – a criteria Google uses to rank websites. Simply put, LCP refers to how fast the largest visible element of your website can load. By only loading images as needed, these key visible elements can load more efficiently.

An important step in implementing lazy loading is to choose an SEO-friendly lazy loading plugin, such as LazyLoad, as some plugins may prevent search engines from indexing images, meaning they don’t appear in search results.

3. Implement website caching

Whenever a customer visits a website, certain website files are saved to their device, whether it be a desktop, tablet or mobile. Information that is saved can range from menus, logos and fonts to images and scripts. The aim of caching is to streamline their next visit and speed up loading times, as the information is called from their device rather than the server.

However, too much caching may mean users don’t see newer versions of the website. It’s important to configure your website’s cache to enable faster load times, while also being updated frequently enough to avoid showing outdated content.

Working with a managed WordPress site host can simplify this process, as caching is included as part of the service. For example, WP Engine optimises servers for caching and website performance, while making it easy to customise and manage settings.

For businesses that don’t work with a managed WordPress host, there are also plugins such as WP Rocket which can help you easily improve website load time. WP Rocket also offers a mobile-specific cache function, which creates a dedicated file for both desktop and mobile. This ensures mobile-specific and desktop-specific website features are stored and displayed properly.

Speed to succeed in 2023

Fast websites are no longer a perk but a necessity of running a successful business website. With simple steps, businesses can significantly improve load time across all devices, securing better SEO, conversion rates and brand reputation.

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https://www.kochiesbusinessbuilders.com.au/wordpress-myth-busting-sorting-the-facts-from-the-fiction/