You can answer this question yourself. It is easy to
do, and we will get to it. First, let's be clear about what
fast means.
A number of people have said my pages download fast.
Some have given numbers. But what do they mean? I recently
read pages should download in 4 seconds. An expert site
designer reported my pages downloaded within 10-15 seconds.
A marketing guru gave times from 8 to 10 seconds. Yet on my
system, it takes about 20 seconds.
Why are qualified people reporting different speeds as
the maximum acceptable? The difference lies in our
individual connections to the Web. While the modem, disk,
and CPU speed of your system are factors, the route traveled
to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and its performance
are also critical. An overloaded ISP can really slow things
down. Then there is the speed at which a server can deliver
information.
Back to the question, there is only one way to answer
it. While the opinions of others are important, the numbers
they give are not, because all are trapped by the
limitations of their equipment and ISP.
The only way to obtain good data is to delete your cache
files. Your browser will not take the time to download
anything already on your disk, even if you click Reload.
Find your cache directory and delete all files in it. Now
download your home page and note the time.
Given graphics repeated from page to page, such as
navigation buttons, times to download subsequent pages will
be faster, and need not be considered. It is the time to
download the first page with no files in cache that matters,
for this is what new visitors will experience.
Next, check the web for sites similar to yours. (If you
have been to the site, remember to delete all cache files.)
Check the download speed and compare it to yours.
A common reason for differences in times is the number
and size of graphics. Ignore results for pages containing
more or larger graphics than you use, for they really slow
things down. If you find that pages similar to yours in size
and graphic content download as yours do, you are fine,
regardless of the numbers.
Why? Because all surfers are trapped by their system
and ISP. All will have become accustomed to a speed they
feel is adequate. You can do nothing to improve this speed,
beyond being sure you are using a fast host. Thus if the
download speed for your site compares favorably with that of
similar sites, your visitors will be content.
If your download speed is greater than those of
equivalent sites, take a hard look at your host. A server
ften makes money by selling more capacity than it has.
Then your visitors will always find things moving too
slowly. (If you need a fast server, consider pair.com or
jumpline.com; I use both and find their delivery speeds to
be excellent.)
So ignore all those numbers given about maximum download
times, because the people giving them are also trapped by
their gear and ISP. Compare the performance of your pages
to similar pages. If yours are as good or better, all is
well.
About the Author:
Bob helps webmasters grow their sites by showing them how to
work smarter for more fun and profit with less effort. He
has been marketing on the Web since 1993. Visit his newest
site: <http://SiteTipsAndTricks.Com>
Subcribe to STAT News:
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message.
Thanks for reading.
