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Google has been vocal in its push to improve user experience across all platforms. Last year, it integrated AMP or Accelerated Mobile Pages in its search engine to enable faster browsing for mobile users.
Simply put, AMP works by requiring developers to apply specific optimizations that boost performance on tablets and smartphones. To expedite this process, the AMP Project’s official website provides all the resources and documentation they will possibly need.
One way AMP speeds up sites is to load all JavaScript resources asynchronously while prohibiting any custom code. This leaves developers with no choice but to use prebuilt AMP elements to add interactivity to the web experience. Although this sacrifices flexibility, it does prevent clunky JavaScript from reducing a website’s performance.
Since the modern paradigm for SEO is to play by Google’s rules, AMP should have a positive impact on a website’s search engine rankings, given that it is a Google-backed initiative – right?
Surprisingly, AMP itself is not a ranking factor for SEO. Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, John Mueller, even confirmed that simply implementing AMP will not lead to increased rankings.
But one thing is for certain – AMP does affect user experience, which is tied to SEO-relevant performance indicators such as bounce rate, organic traffic, and the natural accumulation of backlinks over time. Sure, it can supercharge the experience of mobile users, but it’s not as important as having a nimble website for higher rankings – be it on mobile devices or desktop computers.
Below are some of the strategies you can do today to speed up your site:
1. Leverage Lazy Loading
The use of lazy-loaded resources is one of the reasons why AMP works in speeding up sites. But that doesn’t mean you should implement AMP so that you could leverage lazy loading. A simpler alternative is to install a Lazy Load plugin in your Content Management System.
Lazy loading works by preventing page elements below the fold from rendering. These are elements that are not immediately visible to users upon loading a site. If the user scrolls, the remaining page resources are promptly loaded whenever needed.
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2. Enable Caching
Another easy way to boost your website’s loading speed is to allow caching via plugins. With caching, frequently accessed resources such as headers, background images, and photos are preloaded into the computer’s memory – enabling them to load almost instantaneously whenever the user returns to the same page.
It’s worth noting that caching also benefits mobile devices, though not all plugins currently support this feature. To determine the best caching plugin for your site, you should also perform manual speed tests with tools like Pingdom, GTmetrix, and Google PageSpeed Tools.
3. Enable Compression
While caching stores information into the user’s hard drive for faster retrieval, compression works by reducing the file size of page elements. For this, you can either manually enable Gzip compression on your web server or install a compression plugin if you’re using WordPress.
You can also manually compress your visual assets to cut your page loading time significantly. Fortunately, several free tools such as Optimizilla and TinyPNG will get the job done at zero cost.
4. Upgrade Your Host
Remember that shared hosting only makes sense for new sites that have little to no traffic. Once as you get more visitors, you should consider upgrading to a more capable hosting solution that can keep up with your website’s growing needs. A Virtual Private Server or VPS is typically the next option due to their reliability and affordability. A dedicated host, on the other hand, is for websites that operate with a ton of data, such as online stores and social media networking platforms.
However, if you run a self-managed WordPress site, then you should look at managed WordPress hosting plans. Not only are they optimized to run the WordPress infrastructure with the maximum efficiency, but they also offer additional benefits such as robust CMS security, customer support, and proper site maintenance.
Conclusion
Remember that search engines like Google only want what’s best for their users. At the end of the day, you need to share their commitment to user experience and relevance if you want to be on their radar. Using the techniques above to boost your website’s performance is a great start, but you still have a long way to go if you want to reach the top spot.
