Web Optimization Blog

For years we have been telling site owners - and anyone else we talk to - that page weight matters. Occasionally, somebody would respond with something like ‘everybody has broadband, so that’s just not the problem it used to be’. There are several issues with this line of thinking.

First, as broadband has become more prevalent, page sizes have grown larger.

Second, code that enables tracking and more robust interactivity adds weight to the pages. While you are wondering why the page is taking so long, your browser is busy reading every single line of code in order to show you the page. Bloated code contributes significantly to page weight issues.

Third, the notion that broadband is everywhere has caused an explosion in the use of flash. Flash used thoughtfully can provide a richer, more satisfying experience for the visitor. Flash used with abandon and no alignment to business goals can provide a frustrating, confusing experience that is also inaccessible to visually impaired persons and invisible to search engines.

Last week Google weighed in on the page weight discussion, and in a big way. This month, Google has begun to measure the load times of advertisers’ landing pages. Once advertisers’ load time grades are provided to them, they will have 30 days to make necessary improvements before penalties begin to be applied. Google uses the measurement of landing page quality as a component of the advertiser’s “Quality Score”. Quality score impacts two things:

• The price the advertiser pays for keywords
• Ad placement

Here are four specific suggestions offered by Google to reduce page load time:

Use fewer redirects.

Reduce the page size by using fewer, smaller, and more highly-compressed images.

Do not use interstitial pages.

Minimize the use of iframes on your landing page.

The good news is that this is a very manageable issue, from a technical perspective. The challenge, as it has always been, is for site owners to find the delicate balance that provides the best possible user experience without going overboard on design.