3 tools to optimize loading time

You can create the best website in terms of design, content and in terms of functionality, and even if you have the best host, all this was useless if it can not even to load correctly, in a suitable time in a browser. The rule is very simple: a user who is redirected to your site abandons and goes to other sites when a certain waiting time is exceeded. Of course, this waiting time is very relative, it depends on the internet connection of the visitor in question or other parameters. Experts agree, however, that 40% of visitors with a good internet connection do not wait more than 3 seconds to go to other sites. So, it takes just a little to lose a potential customer.

WHAT IS THE DECISIVE FACTOR WHEN IT COMES TO LOADING SPEED?

In order to have an optimal loading time, the size of your site’s files is paramount. Indeed, the browser downloads all the elements of a web page to display it: HTML code, CSS style sheet, scripts and images. The more data and the more data, the longer the loading time will be.

At a time when your visitors want their page to be displayed in less than a second, it is essentialoptimize your files so that your page loads as quickly as possible.

WHY REDUCE THE LOADING TIME OF YOUR WEB PAGES?

Another factor that should convince you to optimize your files: Google, which is concerned, the health and the good mood of the Net surfers watch over this detail, to the point of penalizing sites that do not load as fast as his comrades. As well as the algorithm that it uses does not just calculate the loading speed of a site, but analyzes up to unnecessary scripts or scripts that pose problem, which cause wasted time, even if these problems in question are completely invisible to the user. Thus, it is imperative to ensure that our web pages load quickly and correctly.

We will introduce you in this article three interesting tools to test the load times of your website. These of course indicate how long your page takes to load, but also offers in-depth analyzes that explain their slowness. Of course, from the results of these analyzes, you have the possibility to draw conclusions about the way and means you have in hand to improve your site.

HOW TO EVALUATE THE SPEED OF A WEBSITE?

Pingdom tools

Excellent analysis tool, Pingdom Tools gives you information on the loading time of your website but at the same time compares this performance to other sites that the tool has already analyzed. To begin, you have to go to the home page of the site and type in the indicated place the URL of the website you want to test. The tool also asks you to choose one of the servers offered by the site, thus simulating the visitor’s geographical position. Of course, the best result will be obtained if you choose the server closest to your site, specifically your web host and not your home.

You can then launch the tool and your results will be available shortly. However, it may happen that Pingdom Tools asks you to wait for other sites that came before you to be scanned.

In the upper part of the results, you have the numbers that correspond to the loading time of your site as well as its size, the general performance (explained later on the page), the ranking of your site compared to the other sites analyzed with the toolthe number of requests needed to load the page and the server used.

Further, you will have a list of points that the tool advises you to review, with respective notes, to improve your site. Next comes a list of error codes, file and query types, secondary sites contacted when the page is loaded, and especially a flowchart showing all the elements and the respective loading times.

GTmetrix

GTmetrix is a tool that looks a lot like Pingdom Tools. The same features are usually found, including the overall performance of the site in the first place including the loading speed and the size of the site. We also have an overall performance compared to other websites that the tool has already analyzed, expressed as a percentage.

However, GTMetrix presents its results pages differently than the first tool, using multiple tabs instead of stretching the page down. But we also note that GTmetrix is ​​making additional efforts in terms of details on the results. We thus have more explanation on what slows down our pages. Each heading corresponds to a small arrow that will indicate, by clicking on it, the tips of the tool as to the possible improvement for this particular heading. In addition, you have access to a button “What’s this mean? Which gives you even more explanation, this time of a general nature.

Note that GTMetrix offers a paid version of its tool, with much more elaborate features, what GTMetrix puts a little too much on these pages of results. However, most experts say that the results provided by its free version are quite relevant to improve its site.

WebPagetest

This third tool is WebPagetest seems more evolved compared to the first two. First, when you start the test, you have the choice between several options, mostly having very different results. For example, you will have the opportunity to choose between an advanced search in three attempts depending on the browser you want. You can also perform a test according to the hardware used by the user, a computer or a mobile 4G, 3G … You will also have the opportunity to compare several websites at the same time.

The precise result page in the first place the health of your site according to a game of color, green or red. By clicking on each item you will have the chance to know which side the test failed in some way, with specific details on the problems encountered and the recommendations to improve your site.

Below you have the choice between 7 tabs that give you precise details about the scripts and files that were needed to load your page. You will also have details on what has slowed down the loading of your page, as well as any problems.

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