When your website was first built, it probably ran fast and smooth. Over time, it’s normal for things to slow down. A website may look simple on the front end, but the back end proves different. There are hundreds of requests being pinged around the world to bring users images and text, and this takes a toll on websites. Plus, plugins grow outdated, multimedia takes up more resources and the code can get clogged up.
If your site is significantly slower than it used to be, you may be wondering why this is the case. Your best bet is to have your site reviewed by a website management company that can offer personalized feedback. In the meantime, here are some common issues that could be causing your site to lag.
Unoptimized Images
A large volume of unoptimized images is usually the most common reason why sites get slower. High-resolution images may look great, but they consume a lot of bandwidth when loading. The more unoptimized photos that are added to your site, the slower your website will be.
To fix this issue, you’ll need to optimize your images. Choose file sizes that are no bigger than 1 MB and use JPEG instead of PNG. Do this going forward, and update the images already on your site.
JavaScript Issues
It’s easy to add dynamic content to websites thanks to JavaScript. However, if JavaScript isn’t implemented correctly, it can mess with your website. To avoid script bloat, review your JavaScript scripts to see what you need and what you don’t.
There are alternatives to JavaScript, but there will always be an enormous amount of code behind your website. When you’re website slows down, work with your web management company to clean up the backend of your site.
Flash Content
Flash is no longer cool. If it’s on your site, it will definitely slow things down. Some sites still use Flash in order to make their sites interactive, but this interactivity isn’t worth the slow load times and incompatibility issues. You can reduce the size of your Flash files, but we recommend removing it altogether. Consider HTML5 in Flash’s place.
Too Many Ads
Advertisements are a great way to monetize your website, but they’re not worth losing traffic and sales over. Ads are annoying and slow down web speed because they can create hundreds of HTTP requests. This will obviously impact user experience and cause people to leave your site. Some ads are OK, but definitely be careful about adding too many pop-ups and interstitials.
Bad Hosting
Sometimes, it’s not your site in itself that’s the problem, but your hosting provider. When websites are small, they can get by with shared hosting solutions. As they grow, their hosting service must scale with them. If your provider can no longer meet your website’s needs, it’s time to switch. You may even need a custom web server built to your exact specifications.
There are many reasons why your site may be slowing down – these are just some of the most common. For an honest review of your site’s performance and what can be done to improve speed, contact Magna Technology. We have solutions for all websites – and probably for much less than what you’re paying now!
