An Optimized Website in 7 Steps

posted in: Blog | 0

Now that you understand the importance of website optimization, here are 7 things you can do to make sure your website is performing in peak condition.

  1. Create an Accelerated Mobile Page for landing and content subpages.
    Here are some resources to get you started:
    • Accelerated Mobile Pages: A boost for your conversion rate
    • AMP Project
    • How to get started with Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
  2. Keep your code light and clean, and use simpler technologies over complex and bulky options.
    If you are looking at themes and templates, research the theme you like to see what other users have said about their experiences. Look for the cleanest, most straightforward ways to accomplish your design goals. Here is a list of front-end and back-end considerations that will affect the way your page loads.
  3. Save your images in the appropriate format.
    JPEG is great for photographs and can be easily compressed. PNG works well for smaller graphics, like logos, and GIF is best when you have a simple icon or animated image. There is also SVG for vector graphics such as logos or illustrations, and WebP as a smaller PNG alternative.
  4. Compress your images to the lowest file size that still allows for the quality you need.
    If you do not know how to compress a file size, check out Web Resizer, a free and easy-to-use tool that optimizes images for web use.
  5. Look at the overall user experience of your site.
    Is it easy to navigate? Are there multiple links or calls to action on relevant pages that encourage users to keep exploring? Are users barraged by popups way too early? Much like you A/B test landing pages for marketing initiatives, you can do similar tests of key pages to make sure you’re giving the user the best possible experience.
  6. Clean up your visual design.
    Is there a whole bunch of graphics and buttons all over the place? Is it hard for users to find the content surfaced by their search queries? Do you have enough white space? Can people easily read your font? Is important information buried below the fold? These are all design choices that will impact the way users interact with your site.

Do not make anyone wait, for anything! Run through as many test scenarios as you can. Triple emphasis if you have any sort of e-commerce function on your site. There are many tools that will help you assess your site’s speed. Don’t forget to look at your hosting. Do you have sufficient bandwidth for your traffic?

Even if you are not creating a new site from scratch, it is worth your time to go through what you have and optimize. Unless you do not want potential customers to use your website. In that case, carry on.