What is the first thing you observe about a website?
- Landing page? Well even before that.
It is the speed at which the site was loaded. The first content that was visible and the response that you got back when you clicked on that button.
Similarly, an eCommerce site’s speed is a crucial factor in the customer experience. And in this are article we are going learn everything about :
Why your eCommerce site speed is important?
What factors affect your eCommerce site speed?
How can you improve your eCommerce site speed?
Hence without wasting any more of your time, let us begin with this amazing article.
Why your eCommerce site speed is important?
We can summarize various reasons for eCommerce site speed in just two points:
1. Customer Experience
The first and the most important reason why you should focus on improving your eCommerce site is to improve the customer experience. Better customer experience means a higher conversion rate, which also means higher profit. Moreover, according to a report from Google, if the site increases the site speed by 1 sec, the conversion rate rises by 26%.
2. Customer Loyalty
Today, customer loyalty is on the fingers of your customer experience. This means if you wish to increase your customer retention rate, you need to work on your site speed. According to a report by Skilled, you can lose 79% of the customer due to a bad customer experience due to higher loading time. Hence if you are looking to increase your customer retention rate as well as grow your profits, we highly suggest you increase your eCommerce site speed.
3. Website Ranking
If one thing is improving a customer experience, Google would consider it as a positive sign to grow your ranking. This is a fact and hence an important factor in ranking your site. According to Google, your site must load in under 2 sec and the most preferred site is under half a second.
What factors affect your eCommerce site speed?
Now that you are aware of the importance of eCommerce site speed, you shall also check for the factors which affect your site speed the most.
1. Heavy CSS and JavaScript Files
The most common factor that affects the eCommerce site speed is the heavy CSS and JavaScript files you use to add animation to your site. The more animation you use, the more space would it cover hence more time would it take to load your eCommerce site.
2. Too Many Widgets and Plugins
If you are using Shopify, or WordPress, you might be using plugins to enhance your site and add features with the theme you choose. But the more plugins or widgets you add to your site higher the load time would be. Hence, it is highly recommended to use only necessary plugins, that from a verified developer.
Also, Read- Best Shopify apps to Increase Sales 2021
3. Slow Server / Hosting
Another factor that can result in lower eCommerce site speed is running your site on a bad server or hosting. If you have taken care of all the factors to ensure your site speed and still can’t get the best speed, maybe you should have a look at your hosting provider. It is highly recommended to use the best hosting service providers and avoid using less popular services just to save some money.
How can you improve your eCommerce site speed?
Along with keeping the above points in mind, here are some additional steps that you can take to improve your eCommerce site speed.
1. Image File Formates
The best way to ensure that you are keeping your eCommerce site speed at its best is by making sure you are using the right image format. Use .jpg or .jpeg file formate for the best practises.
2. Avoid Redirects
There are multiple occasions when you have to redirect your visitors to another page. And while it might be a good way to bring your potential customer to the right page, it takes a lot more time. This messes up with the site speed and the customer experience. Moreover, redirect also results in falling of ranking of that particular page, hence avoid redirecting in most case possible.
3. Compress data
Last but not the least, if you are using excessive CSS or javascript on your site, we recommend you compress your code files. While you would need some understanding of codes and other terminologies, but compressing your files will surely help you with your site speed.
And Wrapping Up
We can conclude how important eCommerce site speed can be for you if you wish to gain more profit. But this is not the end. Head over to PixelPhant blogs and learn about some of the best blogs that you can read to learn more about eCommerce, product photography and product image editing.
