Google has always known the value of page speed – it has even been one of its top desktop search rankings for many years – and from July 2018, it will now be a factor in their mobile search rankings.
Part of Google’s new ‘Speed Update’, it is estimated that the new rules around mobile page speed could negatively affect up to 87% of the UK’s top online retail brands should they not improve their site speeds.
Visualsoft, a digital marketing agency, has put together six tried-and-tested steps to ensure that mobile speeds are improved for both mobile and tablet devices:
Lazy Loading
Choose the ‘lazy loading’ format, which only shows the information and images as the page appears, without preloading all of the images that come after it should the visitor scroll down.
By only serving what the visitor is definitely going to see, the load speeds can be reduced as no unnecessary imagery or information is automatically loaded.
Image Optimisation
Optimise your images by reducing the file sizes and ensuring that the best images are shown to the user based on the device that they are using. Consider adding an image compression functionality to the admin system, as this means that images that are far larger than necessary will not be uploaded, or will be automatically compressed.
Mobile Detection
Implement server-side mobile detection, which will edit the information shown on a mobile device so that it is a more concise offering than the version for desktop users.
Display Priority
Change the display priority of elements so that it is predetermined by the page positioning/user requirements, rather than being determined after every element has fully loaded. This means that elements will be loaded in the order that they are needed.
Remove Carousels
Rotating carousels are a common element on many website, however it is a popular theory that they are ineffective and ignored by most users. As carousels can cause speed delays on mobile devices, add an option to the admin system so that the format can be changed for mobile and desktop.
Reduce Font Files
Large font files are a key culprit in slowing down page speeds on mobile, so switch to using WOFF2 web compression format for fonts as it can significantly reduce the file size.
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