E-commerce sites are the backbone of modern commerce, with millions of online shoppers depending on their reliable performance. Unfortunately, site load times can be a major issue, and certain hazards will severely cripple your site’s performance. From unnecessary bloated code to ineffective server resources, these 15 hazards can cripple your e-commerce site's load time.
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Inadequate Server Resources: Not having enough RAM, CPU and other resources needed to run your website can slow down your load times, interrupting a visitors browsing experience.
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Outdated Software: Running outdated software, like PHP or web applications, can severely slow down your e-commerce site. Software should be regularly updated to make sure it’s running efficiently.
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Poorly Coded Elements: Bloated code can be a major issue for e-commerce sites, and cause them to slow down significantly. Unoptimized code and poorly configured elements can also lead to slow loading times.
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Too Many Redirects: Redirects are an important for SEO, but having too many can significantly degrade performance. Regularly remove unnecessary redirects, and make sure that links remain current.
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Uncompressed Content: Large files should be compressed to make them load faster, but the wrong type of compression can cause the file to expand, leading to slow loading.
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Cluttered Database: A cluttered database needs more resources, and can slow down loading times. Regularly clean out obsolete entries and delete unnecessary data.
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Unnecessary Plugins/Extensions: Adding too many plugins and extensions can significantly slow down your website, especially if they are improperly configured or not regularly updated.
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Lack of Caching: Web page caching allows your website to store frequently requested files for faster loading, and should be enabled for most e-commerce sites.
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Unoptimized Media: Images, videos and other media files should be optimized to make sure they load as quickly as possible.
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Poorly Timed Requests: Some requests should be delayed until after the page loads, including requests for ads, widgets and other scripts.
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Unoptimized JavaScript: Javascript should be minified and compressed for faster loading, but many amateur developers forget this important step.
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Large Photos without Thumbnails: Thumbnails are smaller versions of photos that download more quickly, and should be used when possible, especially for gallery pages.
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Unoptimized HTML and CSS: HTML and CSS should be minified and compressed to make sure they load as quickly as possible.
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Multiple External References: External references should be limited, and called asynchronously, to make sure they don’t slow down loading.
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Poorly Written Code: Poorly written code can lead to slower loading times and other issues, so pay special attention to code quality to ensure great performance.
Optimizing your e-commerce site for faster loading times is essential for providing visitors with the best possible experience. Avoiding these 15 hazards will help make sure that your site can serve customers quickly and efficiently.