In today's digital landscape, having a fast-loading website is crucial for both user experience and search engine optimisation (SEO). Wix offers a user-friendly platform for creating stunning websites. However, optimising site speed on Wix can sometimes be a challenge. In this article, we will delve into the importance of site speed for SEO, evaluate the site speed on Wix, and provide practical tips for enhancing the site speed on your Wix website.
Evaluating Wix Site Speed
Before diving into the strategies to improve your Wix site speed, it is essential to evaluate the current performance of your website. Various tools are available to help you assess the speed and performance metrics of your Wix site. One commonly used tools are Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix. By entering your website's URL, this tool analyses your site's performance on both mobile and desktop devices, providing valuable insights and suggestions for improvement.
When evaluating your Wix site speed, keep an eye on key metrics such as:
Page load time
Page load time refers to the duration it takes for a website to completely load and become visible to the user. It is a crucial aspect of website performance and user experience. When a user accesses a webpage, the browser sends a request to the server hosting the website, and the server responds by transmitting the necessary data to render the webpage. The time taken for this entire process, including downloading resources such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and other content, is known as the page load time.
Several factors can influence page load time, including:
Server performance
The speed and efficiency of the server hosting the website can impact load times. A well-configured and adequately equipped server can handle requests swiftly.
File size and optimisation
The size of files, such as images, videos, and scripts, affects load times. Optimising these files by compressing them or using efficient formats can reduce load times.
Code efficiency: Well-optimised HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code can improve load times. Minifying and compressing code, reducing unnecessary elements, and utilising caching techniques can enhance performance.
Network conditions
The user's internet connection speed and stability, as well as the network congestion, can impact load times. A slow or unreliable connection may result in longer load times.
Third-party resources
Websites often rely on third-party resources, such as analytics tools, social media widgets, or advertisements. These external resources can introduce delays if they are not properly optimised or if their servers experience performance issues.
To provide an optimal user experience, it is important to minimise page load time. Faster load times lead to improved user satisfaction, higher engagement, and better conversion rates. Web developers and administrators employ various techniques, such as optimising server configurations, compressing files, utilising content delivery networks (CDNs), and implementing caching strategies, to reduce page load times and enhance website performance.
Time to First Byte (TTFB)
This metric measures the time it takes for the server to respond with the first byte of data after a user requests a web page. A lower TTFB indicates a faster server response time.
Render Start Time
This metric indicates when the browser begins rendering the content of a web page. It should be minimized to ensure the page starts displaying content quickly.
Total Page Size
The total size of the webpage, including all its assets (such as images, scripts, and stylesheets), affects the loading speed. Keeping the page size optimized by compressing and optimizing assets can help improve performance.
Number of Requests
This metric measures the number of server requests required to load a web page. Reducing the number of requests, for example by combining multiple scripts or stylesheets into a single file, can help decrease load time.
Mobile Performance
With the increasing number of mobile users, it's crucial to evaluate your website's speed and performance on mobile devices. Consider using responsive design and optimizing assets specifically for mobile to ensure a fast and smooth experience.
First Contentful Paint (FCP)
First Contentful Paint (FCP) is a performance metric used to measure the loading speed of a web page. It specifically refers to the time it takes for the first piece of content to become visible to the user on their screen when they visit a webpage. This content could be an image, text, or any other element that contributes to the visual appearance of the page.
FCP is an essential metric for user experience because it indicates how quickly a webpage starts rendering its content. It is often considered a key indicator of perceived loading speed. When a user visits a website, a fast FCP ensures that they see something meaningful on their screen as soon as possible, reducing the perception of a slow-loading page.
Web developers and performance analysts use FCP to evaluate and optimise website loading times. By monitoring FCP, they can identify bottlenecks and make improvements to ensure a faster and more responsive user experience. Strategies such as optimising code, reducing server response time, compressing images, and minimising render-blocking resources can all contribute to improving FCP and overall page performance.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Largest Contentful Paint refers to the measurement of the time it takes for the largest content element on a web page to become visible to the user. It is an important metric used to evaluate the loading performance and user experience of a website.
The largest content element usually refers to the main visual component of a webpage, such as an image, video, or a block of text. When the LCP occurs, it signifies that the crucial visual content has been rendered on the screen, allowing users to perceive that the page is loading and progressing.
A fast and optimised LCP time is crucial for providing a positive user experience, as it ensures that the most significant content appears quickly, reducing perceived load times and preventing users from leaving the page due to long loading periods. Websites and web developers often strive to minimise the LCP time by optimising the loading process, prioritising the loading of critical resources, and implementing performance-enhancing techniques like lazy loading or preloading.
Monitoring and improving the LCP metric can lead to better user engagement, increased conversion rates, and overall satisfaction with a website's performance. By focusing on optimising the largest content element's visibility, web developers can create a more seamless and efficient browsing experience for users.
Total Blocking Time (TBT)
Total Blocking Time refers to the duration of time in which the main thread of a website is obstructed or unable to execute important tasks. It measures the period during which the web page is unresponsive or sluggish, causing delays in user interactions and overall website performance. TBT is a critical metric for assessing the user experience and can impact factors such as user engagement, conversion rates, and search engine rankings. It is often measured and optimised as part of web performance analysis and improvement efforts.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Cumulative Layout Shift refers to the measure of the total amount of unexpected layout shifting that takes place while a web page is loading. When you visit a website, you expect the content to appear and remain in a stable position. However, sometimes elements such as images, ads, or dynamically loaded content can cause the page layout to shift unexpectedly, leading to a poor user experience.
CLS is a metric used to quantify this unexpected layout shift. It takes into account both the distance that elements move and the area of the viewport affected by the shift. The cumulative nature of CLS means that it accumulates all the individual layout shifts that occur during the loading process.
To provide a good user experience, it is essential to minimise CLS on web pages. This can be achieved by properly sizing and specifying dimensions for images and other media, so that the browser can reserve the necessary space in advance. Additionally, avoiding the insertion of content above existing content and using animations and transitions carefully can help reduce unexpected layout shifts.
By monitoring and optimising CLS, web developers can ensure that web pages load smoothly and provide a more stable and pleasant experience for users.
Enhancing Site Speed on Wix
Now that you have assessed the current state of your Wix site speed, it's time to implement strategies to improve it. Here are some effective techniques to boost the performance of your Wix website.
Optimise images
Large image files can significantly slow down your website. Wix automatically optimizes your images to ensure they have the best online quality while maintaining fast download speeds. This means that unless your file exceeds 25MB in size, you don't need to resize or compress it before uploading it to your Wix website. To optimise your images before adding to a web page use popular compression tools such as TinyPNG or Optimizilla.
Enable browser caching
Browser caching allows visitors to store certain website elements, such as images and scripts, locally in their browser. Enabling caching reduces the need to re-download these elements upon subsequent visits, leading to faster load times. Wix provides caching options that you can enable with a few clicks.
To enable or disable caching:
Go to the relevant page in your Editor: Wix Editor: Click Pages & Menu on the left side of the Editor.
Hover over the page and click the More Actions icon.
Click Settings.
Click Advanced Settings.
Click the Manually control caching for this page toggle and choose from the options.
Lazy loading
Wix automatically uses Lazy Loading Images, this effectively enhances your website's loading time. This technique intelligently replaces high-resolution images with their low-resolution counterparts, ensuring a swift and efficient browsing experience for your visitors. As a result, your content remains intact, and your site's performance remains top-notch.
Limit third-party scripts
Excessive use of third-party scripts, such as analytics trackers or social media widgets, can negatively impact your site speed. Evaluate the necessity of each script and consider removing or minimising their usage to enhance performance.
Choose a lightweight theme
When selecting a Wix theme for your website, opt for lightweight options that prioritise performance. Avoid themes with excessive animations or complex design elements that may hinder site speed.
Test and optimise continuously
Regularly test your Wix site speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. Monitor the impact of changes you implement and continue optimising to ensure consistent improvement over time.
The Wix Speed Optimisation Conclusion
A fast-loading website is crucial for SEO success and providing excellent user experience. With Wix, you can optimise your site speed by following the strategies outlined in this article. Remember to evaluate your site speed on a regular basis.
If you would like to learn advanced SEO strategies on how to optimise the pages on your Wix website and blog, check out our Wix SEO Course and take your knowledge to a whole new level.