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Spread your Content As I have mentioned
before, don't put all of your information onto one page. Split your content,
therefore producing smaller web pages which load better. This also helps the user
pinpoint exactly what they are after, instead of having to read through
unnecessary information.
Limit your page size Don't over do it.
Keep an eye on the size of your files for your page. We all know too many
graphics and other gadgets are bandwidth munchers. You can make it as fancy as
you like, but if it isn't useful or informative for your customer, who really
cares.
Optimize your Graphics If you must put
graphics on your website it must be done correctly. There are some handy
guidelines for creating fast loading graphics here.
Use Tables wisely
Browsers load the layout of each table before
loading the content into it. If you put all the content on your page into one
table, then your customers will see only a blank page until the layout of the
page is completed. If many outer tables are
present the page displays the content of each table as soon as its elements are
loaded.
Optimize your HTML code Mistakes in your
HTML can cause delays and even error messages. Don't confuse the browser, make
sure your html is correct. Do not put unnecessary tags and incorrect image
sources. We have all seen the message that tells us there are errors loading
this page, and then asks if we want to continue with the errors. Some newbie
internet users think this is a virus!!!
Minimize use of graphics, Flash, scripts
Flashing and moving pictures look great, but when they take too long to load,
the customer gets impatient and leaves. You would know this because you have
probably done it yourself. I know I have. If you must have something fancy, be
sure to see how it loads and optimize it to work better.
Stick to simple designs Simple designs
are not only for fast loading pages, but also make it easy for the user to
navigate around your page. Internet users frequent simple, fasting loading
sites.
Use Text Links instead of graphic buttons
This is pretty obvious, we all know text loads fast. It does not have to be
boring though. Depending on your webpage builder, you can add some cool rollover
effects to your links.
Use Server Side Include (SSI) files where
ever possible. SSI files once called from the web server reside in its cache so
on subsequent requests they load faster.
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