What Does Page Weight and Load Time Mean?

A very commonly asked question is, “What Does Page Weight and Load Time Mean?”

The page weight, or how heavy pages are, has to do with the total number of and size of graphics on a webpage. The use of a high resolution image as content strains required resources more than a small, low resolution image impacting online navigation and slowing down the loading of the index or content pages of a website.

Another factor that impacts load time, the time it takes a page to load, include user loads that are conditions created when traffic on a system is above average. When such conditions exist, access to a service or application can be denied or the ability to view the website can be hindered.

When users are conducting research at such times and they experience difficulty accessing a data file or menu areas on a website, they most frequently leave the website which results in lost traffic.

HTML code in the header and footer and text have little impact on page weights and loading. Graphics and multimedia features are the primary culprits of lost traffic on the internet. If a consumer finds your site in Google and wishes to visit the site, they expect to be able to access your front page quickly.

Following a guide to determine your load time and page weight is the first step to correcting the problem. From there, you can optimize your images and code to decrease load time which in turn will increase traffic due to improved accessibility.

// posted by BasicMichelle on 12/21/2005 06:58:00 AM / Permanent Link