Three seconds. That’s the average amount of time a user will give you before abandoning your platform. In a digital environment where every millisecond can make a difference, web performance optimisation (WPO) is essential to ensure a smooth user experience and maximise the success of your digital project.
Dorian, our Senior Front-End Developer, shares his expertise on the importance of WPO and the strategies to adopt to improve website performance.
What is Web Performance Optimization (WPO)?
Web Performance Optimization (WPO) covers all the techniques used to speed up loading times and improve the fluidity of a website or web application. This involves optimising hosting, compressing files and managing caches. The aim: to reduce waiting times and improve the user experience, while encouraging conversions.
A high-performance website attracts, retains and converts visitors. Behind every online platform lies one or more business objectives. To achieve them, using WPO methods is vital.
Why is Web Performance Optimisation (WPO) essential?
- Improving the user experience :
« Slow loading times can quickly frustrate users and cause them to abandon a site or application,” continues Dorian. Studies show that visitors expect a page to load in less than three seconds. “Effective performance optimisation ensures fast loading times, improving user engagement and loyalty. » - Impact on SEO :
Google and other search engines attach great importance to site performance in their ranking algorithms. “Faster pages not only have a better conversion rate, they also rank higher in search results, which improves organic visibility. » - Reduced infrastructure costs :
Optimising web performance means using server resources more efficiently. “By reducing file size, optimising HTTP requests and implementing practices such as caching, you can reduce server load and potentially cut hosting costs. » - Mobile experience :
With a growing proportion of users accessing sites via mobile devices, optimisation for slow connections and unstable networks is becoming crucial. “WPO enables a smooth experience across all types of devices and connections, from 4G to slower connections. »
« Visitors expect a page to load in less than 3 seconds »
What are the main WPO techniques?
- Lazy Loading :
« The idea is to load only the images or content that are visible on the screen,” continues Dorian, “delaying the loading of the rest until the user scrolls down the page. » - Minification :
« To keep CSS, JavaScript and HTML files as light as possible, we eliminate superfluous spaces and comments at the compilation stage, and take care to compact the code. In this way, we guarantee optimum performance without compromising on quality. » - Content Delivery Network (CDN) :
A CDN enables static files to be distributed from servers that are geographically close to the users. “This considerably reduces latency. » - Image optimisation :
“The impact of images on site performance is often underestimated,” says Dorian. With our solutions, we automatically optimise our customers’ images using modern formats such as WebP and advanced compression techniques. “This guarantees optimum visual quality while reducing file weight, without our customer having to worry about it.” - Google Lighthouse and other tools :
« With tools like Google Lighthouse, we can analyse site performance in real time and suggest ways of improving it. »
Put simply, WPO is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. Optimising performance not only improves the user experience, but also delivers tangible benefits in terms of SEO, infrastructure costs and mobile access.
“Performance optimisation is an essential and vital investment in the long-term success of any digital project,” concludes Dorian.
Lola is Chief Business Officer, responsible for business, marketing and communication aspects at DJM digital. Always on the lookout for the latest trends and news, she shares her pen with us to address her various areas of predilection.
