The performance of websites is of such high importance that it must not be neglected. The slower an online shop loads, the more customers it loses. The search engine ranking is considerably downgraded by poor performance, which considerably reduces the generation of new users. In general, it is important not to skimp on the selection of the right webhoster. In addition to the webhoster, there are many other factors of relevance, through which the performance of a search engine can be increased. We will inform you about the importance and benefits of good performance.
Performance of online shops: Important indicator for search engine ranking
In times when the search engine ranking of online shops depends on their performance, reaction and loading speeds of websites have become an important success factor. As more and more users access online shops via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets and may have slow Internet connections, fast loading times have become an absolute must. Online shop operators are required to reduce the required data volume, optimize processes, stream videos, predict user behavior and load content asynchronously. The combination of all these techniques leads to improved performance, which in turn increases search engine rankings. In 2015 a study was published (Dyn Report), which examined the effects of slow performance on search engine rankings. The report shows the main obstacles for bad e-commerce. The report admonished operators of online shops that the self-perception of shops and the requirements of the customer side often diverge strongly. The most important results of the study at a glance:
- Two thirds of shop visitors abandon a purchase if loading times are too long
- 95 percent of all customers are dissatisfied with shopping via mobile devices
- Dealers perceive their online shop more user-friendly than their customers
- Poor performance has a negative effect on the reputation of the online shop
- Poor performance reduces sales
Performance and sales
Customers are impatient and so spoiled that they will not wait for a website to load. Understandable: Be honest - would you wait forever for a website to load or simply order the product from an online shop with a faster loading time? The bottom line is that poor performance leads to decreased sales. Online commerce holds enormous sales potential. The number of online sales will increase much more in the future. In the meantime, online retailers state in surveys that they lose a quarter of their customers due to poor performance. Poor performance is thus one of the main problems for a lack of sales on the Internet. 60 percent of all customers state that they would not make a purchase at all if loading times were long. Poor performance is equated by many users with an unprofessional, dubious approach. The conclusion "unqualified internet presence equals unqualified service provider" should be avoided at all costs. Therefore it is indispensable to website or his online shop with an established web host with excellent performance to host.
Poor performance leads to loss of confidence
If you have chosen a webhoster with a poor performance, you have to accept many disadvantages. That is why you should choose a webhoster with excellent performance right from the start. Online shops do not only lose customers due to long loading times - the trust in the company is permanently reduced. And once customers have been disappointed, they usually don't give the company a second chance. Fast performance is particularly important for end devices with mobile Internet connections. Online shops with Responsive Design can attract considerably more customers than non-optimized online shops. Most customers can be won over when shopping via mobile devices, as almost 95 percent of all customers are dissatisfied in this area. As soon as a website is too slow, the customer stops the loading process and looks for another provider. The performance of websites can be measured with various tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights.
Tips for improving performance
If you want to increase the performance of your online shop, you should first look for a suitable web hoster. An excellent performance can already be booked for a few euros per month. The rule here is that you should never skimp on money. A good webhoster is the number one prerequisite for an excellent performance. In addition, care should be taken to increase the user-friendliness of the shop. This should be given on the laptop as well as on end devices such as tablet and smartphone. By establishing a responsive design, the usability and performance of an online shop can be significantly improved. The shopping experience should be personalized. Recommend products to your customers and advise them using intelligent software. No matter if mobile device or laptop: Customers want to have a consistently high-quality shopping experience. Ask your friends and acquaintances how you could improve your online shop. Outsource product videos and other content. Streaming video from high-performance servers can save storage space and offer users extreme speed.
More tips for fast performance
The performance of an online shop can be improved with relatively simple means. In many online shops, it is already clear in advance which steps the user will take next. With linear processes such as "Checkout" or "Manage orders", it is clear that these will be clicked on by the user. Contents of the following links can be loaded in advance. This fills in any unused idle time and loads the subsequent page much faster. Numerous online shops use incorrect file formats, which turn out too large and lead to unnecessary traffic. pictures and videos should always be provided in a suitable file format and with appropriate formatting. Meanwhile hardly any online shop gets along without Java: But the scripts should be reduced to a minimum. The same applies to stylesheets, which can be minimized considerably with an appropriate formatting. For online shops with many elements or a large assortment, a distribution over several systems is advisable. Larger content such as videos should be uploaded to YouTube if necessary, so that these are loaded by high-performance servers and do not burden your own online shop with too much traffic. No matter whether online shop or conventional website. Google punishes websites with bad performance. So it can be of importance whether the loading takes 300 or 500 milliseconds.
