You can answer this
question yourself. It is easy to do, and we will get to it. First, let's be
clear about what fast means.
A number of people have
said my pages download fast. Some have given numbers. But what do they mean? I
recently read pages should download in 4 seconds. An expert site designer
reported my pages downloaded within 10-15 seconds. A marketing guru gave times
from 8 to 10 seconds. Yet on my system, it takes about 20 seconds.
Why are qualified people
reporting different speeds as the maximum acceptable? The difference lies in
our individual connections to the Web. While the modem, disk, and CPU speed of
your system are factors, the route traveled to your ISP (Internet Service
Provider) and its performance are also critical. An overloaded ISP can really
slow things down. Then there is the speed at which a server can deliver
information.
Back to the question,
there is only one way to answer it. While the opinions of others are important,
the numbers they give are not, because all are trapped by the limitations of
their equipment and ISP.
The only way to obtain
good data is to delete your cache files. Your browser will not take the time to
download anything already on your disk, even if you click Reload. Find your
cache directory and delete all files in it. Now download your home page and
note the time.
Given graphics repeated
from page to page, such as navigation buttons, times to download subsequent
pages will be faster, and need not be considered. It is the time to download
the first page with no files in cache that matters, for this is what new
visitors will experience.
Next, check the web for
sites similar to yours. (If you have been to the site, remember to delete all
cache files.) Check the download speed and compare it to yours.
A common reason for
differences in times is the number and size of graphics. Ignore results for
pages containing more or larger graphics than you use, for they really slow
things down. If you find that pages similar to yours in size and graphic
content download as yours do, you are fine, regardless of the numbers.
Why? Because all surfers
are trapped by their system and ISP. All will have become accustomed to a speed
they feel is adequate. You can do nothing to improve this speed, beyond being
sure you are using a fast host. Thus if the download speed for your site
compares favorably with that of similar sites, your visitors will be content.
If your download speed is
greater than those of equivalent sites, take a hard look at your host. A server
ften makes money by selling more capacity than it has. Then your visitors will
always find things moving too slowly. (If you need a fast server, consider
pair.com or jumpline.com; I use both and find their delivery speeds to be
excellent.)
So ignore all those
numbers given about maximum download times, because the people giving them are
also trapped by their gear and ISP. Compare the performance of your pages to
similar pages. If yours are as good or better, all is well.
About the Author:
Bob helps webmasters grow their sites by showing them how to work smarter for
more fun and profit with less effort. He has been marketing on the Web since
1993. Visit his newest site: http://SiteTipsAndTricks.Com
Subcribe to STAT News: mailto:STAT@OakNetPub.Com with
SUBSCRIBE as the message.
