One of the keys to having a successful eCommerce experience has to do with ease of use. Smartphones, tablets and other types of mobile devices have dramatically increased an overall requirement for speed and efficiency in today’s modern age. Simply put: if your user doesn’t immediately get what they want from your site, they’re going to go someplace else and try again.

To make matters worse, they likely won’t return to your site in the future based on that one experience. Page load time is one of the keys to creating the type of environment that is conducive to shopping. Luckily, there are a few quick hacks that you can easily use to improve page load time for eCommerce.

Tips to Speed up Page Load Time

1. Combine Files

Every time a user attempts to load a particular element of your site, the browser they’re using requests a file. The more times that the browser has to request files, the longer your page will load. As a result, one of the easiest ways to improve page load times on your site is simply by combining files at the code level. Fewer files means fewer requests, which will ultimately lead to faster load times overall.

2. Compress Images

The chances are high that your eCommerce site is filled with images, especially considering the fact that you want to be able to let the customer see the products that they’re about to buy. One thing people don’t realize, however, is that large images are one of the major reasons why a site will load slowly. You want an image to be as detailed as possible, but you still want to keep that file size in check. As a result, compressing images will dramatically reduce the overall amount of time it takes for a page to load.

3. Use a Content Delivery Network

Another one of the major reasons why a site might load slowly has to do with geography. If all of your site?s elements are stored in Georgia and a user tries to visit from Russia, it will take that person’s Internet connection longer to load the page than it would for someone in the United States. A CDN will store elements in a few different places around the world, improving load times for everyone at the same time.

Out of all the reasons why a person may be compelled to leave a site, page load time is most certainly at the top of the list. If your page takes even a few seconds longer to load than the competitor, make no mistake: that competitor is going to effortlessly steal the user you assumed was about to turn into a customer. Don’t let a few quick changes to improve page load time stand in between your organization and a sale.

Key Takeaways:

• Page load time is one of the most important aspects of an eCommerce site that you need to control at all costs.
• Page load time is one of the main reasons why people will leave your site and head right into the arms of a competitor.
• Combining files, compressing images and more are great ways to make sure that your site loads faster than ever.