Slow websites lose customers. In Singapore where users expect instant loading, every second of delay costs you conversions. Here is how to make your website lightning fast.
Why Speed Matters
- 53% of visitors leave if a page takes over 3 seconds
- Google ranks faster sites higher in search results
- 1 second delay = 7% reduction in conversions
- Mobile users are less patient than desktop
Speed is not just technical - it directly impacts your revenue.
Quick Wins
- Compress images - Use TinyPNG or similar. Often 70% reduction.
- Enable caching - Browser caching speeds repeat visits
- Minify CSS/JS - Remove unnecessary characters from code
- Use a CDN - Serve files from locations closer to users
- Lazy load images - Only load images as user scrolls
- Reduce plugins - Each plugin adds loading time
Advanced Optimization
- Upgrade hosting - Good hosting is $15-50/month, not $5
- Database optimization - Clean up old data and overhead
- HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 - Modern protocols are faster
- Critical CSS - Load essential styles first
- Defer JavaScript - Load scripts after content
- WebP images - Next-gen format, smaller files
Testing Your Speed
Use these free tools to measure performance:
- Google PageSpeed Insights - Scores and recommendations
- GTmetrix - Detailed analysis and history
- Pingdom - Test from different locations
- WebPageTest - Advanced technical analysis
Aim for under 3 seconds load time, ideally under 2.
Speed optimization is one of the highest-ROI website improvements. Most fixes are straightforward and the impact on user experience and conversions is immediate.