WPO (Web Performance Optimization) is the term that encompasses all the techniques and strategies we use to improve a website’s efficiency; these are various techniques where each element contributes its part to improve the final loading time.
Optimization and Efficiency
By evaluating the effect of these techniques and applying those we consider can provide positive results through our analysis and within the available budget, we succeed in making the website faster.
To perform the various analyses, we use tools such as XDebug, Query Monitor, Apache Benchmark, and the network, performance, and lighthouse sections of the browser inspector. To apply solutions, we implement various strategies depending on each case.
The Importance of Speed
As internet connections (fiber optics, Wi-Fi 6, 5G), computer equipment (both computers and mobiles), and servers continue to improve, website loading times have a greater potential to be faster.
The baseline to meet is that our website is fast enough not to frustrate our users; from there, any improvement will result in a better experience for visitors.
But what is the most appropriate response time for a website? It is one that maintains a balance between the content we want to show, the user’s interest, and their expectations. For example, on a site that requires a lot of navigation (such as an online store), frustration will grow gradually if the response time is significantly slower compared to previous experiences on similar sites; users might tend to browse less and, in the worst-case scenario, abandon the site, especially if there is competition offering a better user experience.
The Limits of Optimization
Not all websites can be the fastest, and this happens for a very simple reason: different sites have different content and functionalities. A site based on content and features that require little loading time (text) and processing will always be able to be faster than a site that requires significant loading time (images, videos) and processing (advertising, third-party scripts).
Likewise, a website running on a dedicated server will tend to be faster than one located on shared hosting.
The goal is to find the best possible point of optimization within reasonable limits, which are determined both by the objective we want to achieve (content and functionalities on the website) and by the investment you are able to undertake.
Search Engines and Optimization
Google values the overall loading time of a website within its parameters to rank the site better or worse within the search engine. This is measured through three parameters:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Evaluates the time it takes for content to appear on the screen, from the moment the request is made until it is “painted,” passing through the entire intermediate process of resource downloading. This time is usually longer on mobile devices as they generally have slower connections and processors than a computer.
- First Input Delay (FID): Evaluates the ability to interact quickly with the content; it measures the response time from when an action is performed (for example, clicking a button) until the response to that action is processed.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability; on some websites, content may shift its position as it loads, causing other content to also have to change position “on the fly.” These shifts require new visual processing and therefore represent an increase in processing time.
These parameters are important for the website’s positioning in Google, which, although it provides a tool to obtain data about these parameters, actually the data it ultimately uses is an average of the experience real visitors have had over the last few weeks. More information.
Do you think we can help you?
If you notice that your website runs slower than others, or if you believe there is room for improvement in your project to enhance navigation for your visitors.
Talk to us
Briefly tell us what you need: what is happening, what type of project it is and, if possible, its scope. The more context you provide, the better we can advise you.
Frequently Asked Questions
En la mayoría de sitios web una correcta configuración de caché mejora bastante los tiempos de carga, debido a que reduce drásticamente los tiempos de proceso en el servidor. Pero más allá de la caché hay otros muchos detalles a tener en cuenta que afectan a las distintas fases de carga de un sitio web, y que van desde que el documento web se genera en el servidor hasta que se muestra completamente en el navegador del visitante.
Muy fácil, analizamos con distintas herramientas los tiempos de carga desde distintos puntos de vista y solucionamos primero aquellos puntos son solucionables y que más van a mejorar los tiempos de carga. Con esto realizamos un proceso iterativo en el que, mejorando lo que se encuentra peor llegamos a buenos resultados con una dedicación razonable de tiempo.
No todos, hay elementos que, por el modo en que funcionan, no permiten una mejora y pueden afectar al tiempo de carga del sitio. Un ejemplo de esto son los anuncios de Google (Adsense) que, desde hace años y aún en este momento (febrero de 2023) son un elemento que provoca una gran descarga de recursos poco eficientes, un gran consumo de procesamiento JavaScript y cambios en la visualización que empeoran directamente y en una medida importante los parámetros que el propio Google analiza (LCP y CLS).
Además, más allá de elementos de terceros, hay recursos que pueden formar parte intrínseca del sitio web que también pueden aumentar este tiempo de carga, como puede ser algún efecto visual.
Si, podemos hacerlo siempre que podamos acceder a su código.
Esto depende de nuestro volumen de trabajo en el momento de la contratación y del trabajo como tal. Habitualmente lo podemos realizar en un plazo de unas dos semanas laborables aproximadamente.
Realizamos presupuestos tras realizar un primer análisis del sitio, con eso valoramos los posibles puntos a mejorar y por tanto el presupuesto más adecuado para el trabajo concreto.
Hay algunas ocasiones en las el hosting es uno de los motivos importantes por los que un sitio web funciona lento. Si detectamos este problema, recomendaremos el cambio de proveedor de hosting como mejora.