Have you heard the latest? You can ‘Google’ Google “Matt Cutts being interviewed by WebProNews on Caffeine” to get an idea about the site speed buzz. Take a look at some of the tools and resources it suggests, but don’t get overwhelmed (most of those resources are designed for webmasters). If you have or are planning to launch an online business, what you need to know about Caffeine is pretty simple.
Matt throws out a few sentences during the interview:
“clean place”
“clean code”
rich site
Clean, rich… and fast for your industry: The latest rumor is that a business website can compete better if it reaches the average speed, or more, for its industry niche (for example, photography websites full of images will take longer to load than news websites which are mostly text). A site will attract and retain visitors more effectively if the load time is satisfactory to the viewer and if the screen contains effective images and text.
Items to look for when purchasing a site or site upgrade that can compete online:
A website developer who knows what he’s doing. They will know how to minimize the number of components and/or HTTP requests that need to be downloaded when a user visits their home page or another page on the site by simplifying the page layout. An experienced and savvy webmaster reduces HTTP and image requests while still producing a rich page layout through the use of image maps, merge files, and other minification tricks. This is just the beginning for the webmaster and many more techniques can be used to optimize the page load time of your website. What can you do? Invest in a trusted architect for your online business and keep the lines of communication open, but let them work their magic. It might help to research some tech concepts so you know what to ask when looking for a builder.
A web server that provides sufficient disk space and bandwidth. Disk space is the amount of memory storage space allocated to you on your web hosting server. Free web hosting generally provides minimal disk space. High-end web hosting packages include a more generous allowance. You need space for each file used to create your web pages. Bandwidth is the monthly allowance for data that can be transferred to and from your server. Just like cell phone minutes mixed with teens, bandwidth can deplete much faster when there’s more traffic or large file requests. Bottom line: insufficient web hosting space can negatively affect site speed.
Links, content and tags Speed isn’t everything: Yes, in 2010 Google will apparently look for sites that are faster to load. Yes, Web users are notoriously impatient and are more likely to buy from a site they can see right away rather than one that takes half a minute to “appear.” But page load speed still can’t overshadow the importance of the Big Three:
Links who love your site – Link building is ranked at the top of the list for most SEO strategists and for good reason. Search engines value the “votes” you get from other websites who think of you enough to link to your website from theirs. (Note: if you relink, the “vote” doesn’t count as much.)
Original web content that matches a search engine visitor’s intent – Copywriting is a paid profession for a very good reason, especially in these days when marketing copy must please both search “bots” and human users. But you know your business best, and nothing is stopping you from figuring out how to write copy for your website that appeals to both audiences.
Title tags that adapt to search engines and users: Titles in web page content are beneficial, but optimized title tags are more critical for crawling, indexing, and ranking. If you don’t know what a title tag is, search for “title tags” on Google®. All the blue underlined phrases on the left side of the results page are title tags. These must be written to attract users. They should carry an enticing message, possibly a call to action (buy, search, buy, view, check). And the keywords used in them must make direct reference to what the user will find on the web page. For example, if a title tag says “Discounted Britney Spears T-Shirts Today” and the user is taken to a web page that sells fishing gear, this is not effective. Yes, the “hot” keyword “Britney Spears” may attract some clicks, but once users enter the site, they’ll see they’ve been duped and leave, buying neither a lure nor a cork.
So yes, in 2010 it is wise to get a web hosting package that provides what you need for speed. It pays to invest in qualified web design services. These are important, especially with the new emphasis on fast charging. But don’t forget the links, content, and title tags.
