It’s not a secret anymore that Google takes into account user experience when ranking a website. This is why it has become more important than ever to pay attention to these factors when designing and developing a website.
Consult any search engine optimization agency in New York, and they will review your website for performance and speed before coming up with a plan to improve its ranking.
Here are some of the effective ways you can do this:
Use Thumbnails Instead of Full-Sized Images
This is a common practice employed by many web designers. Instead of uploading full-sized images as they tend to consume a lot of space and slow down loading speed, they display thumbnails. If the user wants to see a particular image, they click on it. Once they have performed this action, a request is sent to the server and the page is updated. Of course, this technique cannot be used in all cases. However, when there are multiple images on a page; for instance, a gallery, you can use this method and prevent slow loading.
Place CSS and JavaScript in External Files
Not many people are aware of this fact but placing CSS and JavaScript in external files can improve the rendering time. This is due to the fact that when we visit a website for the first time, the browser caches external resources including JavaScript and CSS files. This way, it won’t have to load them from scratch every time we visit that particular page. Following this practice also makes maintenance of a website a lot easier since the developer only has to maintain global files.
Use Image Editor to Resize Image
A lot of people tend to resize images in HTML to save time. However, the right way to do it is to use an image editor such as Photoshop for this purpose. Resizing is easy; hence, you don’t need to be a Photoshop expert to be able to do so. The main reason why it is recommended to use an image editor is that it also reduces the size of the image as well. Consequently, it impacts the speed and performance of the page, making it faster.
Use Live Text Instead of Text on Images
Another mistake people make is they write text on images instead of keeping the text panel live since this requires a little extra effort. The reason why it is recommended to not adopt this practice is that when text is written on the image, it is not accessed to screen readers. Thus, making it useless for SEO. So, if it contains a primary or secondary keyword, it will serve no purpose. Furthermore, it can also result in increased load time. So, the best way to add text to an image is to use CSS.
Use the Correct File Format
Again, not many people pay attention to this but using the correct file format is important for optimizing a website in terms of speed and performance. If you have selected the correct format, you wouldn’t lose the quality of the image yet will be able to reduce its size. You can easily find free tools that can help you to change the format of a file while retaining its quality.
Pay Attention to Your Coding Method
Different people code in a different manner! It’s a common belief that it doesn’t matter which method they are using as long as they are getting the desired output. However, in reality, the way you code does matter. For example, some people use a lot of tags while writing code. This can increase the file size along with making maintenance work tougher. On the other hand, using CSS, instead of tags, can make coding more efficient, maintenance easier, and reduce file sizes.
Final Thoughts
To sum it up, it may seem easier to design and develop a website using DIY methods as there are a number of them available online. However, if you need your business’s website to have a professional look, needless to say, you need to rely on professional services. Only use DIY methods if you have basic knowledge of coding and design. Otherwise, contact Map-it Inc. and allow them to create the best impression of your brand on your potential customers via your website.