Have you ever gone to a website and had to wait what felt like an eternity for it to load?
Chances are, you clicked away from the page and went somewhere else.
Why?
Because we’re impatient beings. In an age where technology is constantly advancing, we expect our web pages to load quickly.
We want things fast and we don’t have time to waste.
If you own a website, then you’re probably already aware of the importance of website speed.
But did you know that time to first byte (TTFB) plays a significant role in how quickly your site loads?
In this blog post, we’ll discuss what TTFB is, why it matters, and how to improve it.
- What is Time to First Byte?
- Why Does TTFB Matter?
- What is the Recommended TTFB?
- How to Measure TTFB?
- How to Improve Website Performance and TTFB?
What is Time to First Byte?
Time to first byte (TTFB) is the amount of time it takes for a web server to respond when a user visits a website or performs an action on the site.
It is measured from the moment the user makes their request until they receive the first byte of data from the server.
This data includes HTML, images, JavaScript files, and more.
While it may seem like an insignificant measure at first glance, TTFB can actually have a huge impact on your website speed and performance.
Why Does TTFB Matter?
For starters, TTFB directly impacts how fast your website loads – if it takes a long time for your server to respond, then page loading times will be affected as well.
Additionally, slow loading times can lead to higher bounce rates and lower overall customer satisfaction. When customers are frustrated with the speed of your website, they are less likely to return or buy from you again in the future.
That’s why it’s important to take steps to reduce your TTFB and improve your site’s performance.
What is the Recommended TTFB?
Ideally, you want your TTFB to be as low as possible – under 200 milliseconds is a good rule of thumb.
In fact, this was Google’s original recommendation for server response time.
Of course, this isn’t always possible, depending on the complexity of your website and the resources required to generate it.
That said, anything over 600 milliseconds is considered slow, so you should aim to keep your TTFB as low as possible.
How to Measure TTFB?
There are a number of tools you can use to measure TTFB, including Google’s PageSpeed Insights, Pingdom Tools, WebPageTest.org, and ByteCheck.
These tools will help you identify how long it takes for your server to respond when someone visits your website or performs an action on the page.
Once you have the results, you can start taking steps to improve your TTFB.
How to Improve Website Performance and TTFB?
Fortunately, there are several ways you can optimise your site for faster loading times and better performance.
Here are some tips for reducing your time to first byte:
Optimise Images
Resizing images appropriately for your website can help reduce the file sizes and speed up loading times.
Optimising images for web use before uploading them on your site helps to reduce file size without compromising image quality too much.
Using the appropriate image file format is also important. For example, using JPEGs instead of PNGs can help to reduce file size without compromising image quality too much.
Optimise Your Database Queries
If database queries are taking too long to process or return results, then you should consider optimising them for better performance. This could involve restructuring tables or indexing certain columns so that queries run faster than before.
Reduce External Requests as Much as Possible
External requests increase latency and can slow down page loading times significantly. Try to reduce any unnecessary requests or scripts that may be slowing down your site.
If you can, load these from your server instead of an external source, as this will help to reduce latency.
Avoid Combining Multiple Scripts into One File
This is an old school technique that was recommended for the first version of HTTP to reduce the number of requests sent to a server due to how files were downloaded at the time: one file at a time.
However, combining multiple scripts into one file can actually lead to slower page loading times due to the sheer size of the files and the impact it can have on server resources.
HTTP 2 and above allows for multiple requests to be sent and received at the same time, so this technique is no longer necessary.
Update Your Web Server Software and Security
Outdated web server software and security can lead to slower loading times. Make sure you are always running the latest version of your web server software and have adequate security measures in place.
For example, using the latest version of PHP and the HTTPS protocol can help improve website speed and performance.
Minimise Redirects
They add extra steps between the browser and server requests, which leads to longer loading times overall.
Try to eliminate any unnecessary redirects, or consider utilising caching techniques, to reduce the impact of redirects on page loading times.
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
This helps to store static files such as images and scripts close to users so that they load faster on their end. A CDN can also help to reduce the load on your server by offloading requests to the network instead.
Consider using a CDN if you have a global or distributed audience that needs to access your website quickly.
Upgrade Your Hosting Plan
If all else fails and none of these tips seem helpful enough in improving your site’s performance, then perhaps it’s time for you to upgrade your hosting plan.
Use a reliable web hosting platform that is specifically tailored to your needs, such as cloud hosting or dedicated server hosting, and make sure it has enough resources to handle the traffic your website receives.
Use Compression
Compress data before sending it from the server to the browser, as this can help to reduce the size of the data being transferred.
For example, using GZIP compression can cut down the amount of time it takes to transfer files between server and client by up to 90%, leading to faster page loading times overall.
Use Caching
Caching is one of the most effective ways to reduce page loading times because it stores information in memory which can be accessed more quickly than by querying databases over and over again each time someone visits your page.
You can implement caching in various forms such as page caching or object caching depending on what type of data needs to be stored in memory for quick retrieval later on down the line.
If you can use server-side caching instead of software-based caching, it can help to improve the performance of your website dramatically.
Caching should be the last item to apply as it can hide underlying issues and should be used only to supplement other improvements.
Make Sure Your Hosting Provider has Good Uptime
If they do not, then all of these optimisations will be rendered useless since no one will be able to access your website in the first place! You should always check to make sure your hosting provider has good uptime and is reliable before investing in their services.
Conclusion: Improve Customer Satisfaction with Faster Page Loads
Website speed matters more than ever these days. With so many websites competing for attention, people expect pages to load quickly, or else they will move on elsewhere immediately.
Improving your time to first byte with these measures can help make sure that customers have a positive experience when visiting or interacting with your website—which ultimately leads to improved customer satisfaction levels as well as increased conversions over time!
Not only does optimising TTFB help make sure that customers don’t get frustrated by slow load times, but it also helps reduce bounce rates and increase overall engagement levels onsite too!
So, take advantage of these tips today and start working on improving your website’s performance right away!
Recap
- Time to First Byte (TTFB) is the amount of time it takes for a web server to respond when a user visits a website or performs an action on the site.
- TTFB can have a significant impact on your website speed and performance, so it’s important to take steps to reduce it.
- The recommended TTFB should be under 200 milliseconds; anything over 600 milliseconds is considered slow.
- Tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights, Pingdom Tools, WebPageTest.org and ByteCheck can help measure your TTFB.
- To improve website performance and reduce TTFB, optimise images for web use, optimise database queries, reduce external requests, avoid combining multiple scripts into one file, update web server software and security, minimise redirects, use a content delivery network (CDN), upgrade hosting plan, use compression and caching techniques.
- Lastly but importantly make sure your hosting provider has good uptime – otherwise all other optimisations become useless!
Limitless Networks, A Kerry Web Design Company
Do you want your website to load quickly, run smoothly, and remain fast?
If yes, then our website performance optimisation services can help!
We can help you optimise your website for speed and ensure that customers have the best experience possible when visiting it.
Contact us today and find out how we can help you improve your website’s performance!
