The impact of server response time on page speed
Introduction
Page speed is one of the most vital elements for any website's success. When it comes to ranking on search engines, the page load speed plays an important role. Among various factors responsible for determining the page speed, server response time is a key factor. It is the time taken by the web server to respond to a request sent by a browser. In this article, we will discuss the impact of server response time on page speed.
Factors Influencing Server Response Time
Several factors influence server response time. Let's take a look at a few of them.
1. Hosting Plan
A hosting plan is the first factor affecting the server response time. A shared hosting plan has a limited amount of server resources and is comparatively slower. In contrast, a dedicated hosting plan offers high server resources to handle the website's traffic efficiently. Choosing the right hosting plan is crucial to ensuring good server response time.
2. CMS and Database
The content management system (CMS) and the database management system chosen also affect server response time. WordPress is one of the most widely used CMS, and it demands a lot of resources from the server, which negatively impacts server response time. Similarly, poor database optimization, large size databases, and old database technology contribute to slow server response time.
3. Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A content delivery network (CDN) reduces the server response time by delivering the website content from the nearest server as per the user's location. This results in faster page load times. CDN plays a tremendous role, especially for sites with global audiences and high traffic.
Impact of Server Response Time on Page Speed
Now that we know the factors influencing server response time let's discuss how it impacts the page speed.
1. Google Ranking
Google's core web vital focuses on three factors: loading, interactivity, and visual stability. Website speed, including server response time, is vital for a good user experience and hence ultimately for Google's ranking. Slow server response time may harm your website's ranking, and it may lose out on potential traffic and customers.
2. User Experience
A slow server response time drastically hurts the user experience. Users today have a reduced attention span, and they expect a website to load within a few seconds. If a website fails to satisfy that expectation, users will abandon it and switch to a competitor with faster page load times. User engagement and retention also heavily depend on the website's speed.
3. Sales and Conversions
User Experience has a direct correlation with sales and conversions. Slow server response time leads to a higher bounce rate, resulting in decreased sales. The average user expects a website to load within two seconds, and anything more than that can negatively impact conversion.
Ways to Improve Server Response Time
After knowing the impact of server response time on page speed, it's essential to discuss how to improve it. Here are a few tips to help reduce server response time.
1. Optimize Website Code
Optimizing website code helps to improve server response time. Removing unnecessary modules, reducing HTTP requests, optimizing images and videos, using Gzip compression, and enabling browser caching can help speed up your website.
2. Use a CDN
A CDN is an excellent option to reduce server response time by delivering website content from the nearest server to the user's location.
3. Leverage Caching
Caching helps to reduce the server's load by storing the website's data in temporary storage areas like RAM and caching plugins.
Conclusion
Server response time is a crucial factor in determining website speed. It impacts Google's ranking, user experience, and sales and conversions. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize your website's server response time. By implementing the tips discussed in this article, you can improve your website's server response time and provide users with a faster and smoother website experience.