October 26, 2016
So you finally got your site optimized properly, and you have killer content that is sure to get the traffic that you want and need. You also have a website that has a spectacular design that even you can easily say is easy on the eyes and encourages people to stay longer. Yet, you notice that when you check your revenues, your extra effort does not seem to be paying off.
You find that your bounce rate seems to be rather high despite how attractive, relevant, and searchable your site is. What seems to be the problem? Could you have done something wrong with the work you did on your site?
What some website owners do not know is that one of the killers of revenue, and the main reason for people leaving a site even when they need something from it, is slow loading speeds. When your website is slow, the tendency of those visiting the website is to click the back button and to look for another similar site that may not be as awesome as your site, but loads fast and still provides them with what they need. This means your competitors will get your bounced visitors and the revenue that you could have had.
Is Server Speed Truly to Blame for Slow Page Loading?
While server speed is indeed one of the culprits for a slow loading web page, there are a few other reasons why a website is taking too long to finish loading on the customer’s end. The fault could be on the customer’s side, with slow computers and slow internet speeds. The fault could also be on the designer’s side, with a site that has too many elements that can slow down loading speeds (such as fancy flash features, images that are too large, and automatically launching videos).
The fault could also be in the coding, with problems like formatting and readability taking the forefront in the priorities of the coder instead of page loading speed. You have to remember that if your site’s webpages take longer than 4 seconds to load completely, people tend to lose patience and look elsewhere for what they need. Not only will they go to another website (which is usually your competitor’s), but they will not consider returning to your site due to its poor performance in terms of loading speeds.
If you find however that a slow server is indeed the cause of your bounce-rate woes, then you will need to address such a problem immediately. If you opted for a mediocre web hosting provider, then you need to find a better one fast. Yes, they may have given you a cheap plan that reduces your overhead costs, but what you may not have realized is that this also lowers your revenues due to lost customers.
Finding a better web hosting service that can provide you with the page loading speeds that you require can open you up to a number of options, and these include both shared and dedicated hosting choices. Find the one that not only guarantees you the kinds of speeds that you are looking for, but also the kind of after-sales service and assistance that you may require.