How to check Website Loading Time

Teams must consider testing a website’s loading time across a range of device-browser combinations at regular intervals. This enables them to gain actionable insights for specific web pages. It also helps them evaluate which web pages are taking too long to load or identify if there is a specific browser for which the website needs to be optimized.

Users access websites accessed through thousands of different devices and browsers. However, testing a website’s speed across a range of real devices and browsers can be challenging without the right tools at hand. Additionally, calculating relevant metrics such as Time to first byte (TTFB), Response time, Page load time, DOM processing for each browser can be a cumbersome task, especially it if has to be done manually.

To begin with, let’s understand what these metrics represent at a high level.

What is Page Load Time?

Page load time refers to the total amount of time it takes for a web page to fully load and become interactive after a user initiates a request to view it.

This includes the time it takes for the browser to receive and render all the elements of the page, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and other resources.

Why do you need Fast Loading Website?

A fast loading website is a must due to user expectations and high competition as many players are available online.

Here are some of the core reasons why you need a fast loading website:

• User Experience (UX): Slow website speeds can frustrate users, leading to a decrease in user satisfaction and engagement. A smooth, responsive user experience can encourage users to stay on your site longer, interact more with your content, and be more likely to convert (for example, make a purchase, sign up for a newsletter, etc.).
• Mobile Internet Use: The use of mobile devices for internet browsing has grown exponentially. Mobile users often have different connectivity and speed conditions, making speed and performance optimization even more crucial.
• SEO Ranking: Search engines, like Google, consider site speed as a ranking factor. Faster websites are more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), resulting in more visibility and traffic. Google implemented a new ranking algorithm called Core Web Vitals, which focuses on user experience, including loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.
• ECommerce Growth: For online retailers, website speed and performance directly impact sales and revenue.
• Increasing Web Complexity: Web applications are becoming increasingly complex with more scripts, images, third-party integrations, and high-resolution content than ever before. Making it critical to prioritize speed and performance optimization to ensure the best user experience.
• 5G and Edge Computing: With the ongoing global roll-out of 5G technology and the rise of edge computing, users’ expectations for website performance are higher than ever. These technologies promise significantly faster load times and lower latency.
• Sustainability: There’s an increasing awareness of the environmental impact of digital technologies. More data means more energy consumed, so an optimized, efficient website could also be a more sustainable choice, reducing its carbon footprint.
• Scalability: As your website grows, you will have more users, more page views, and more content. If your website is already slow, growth will only exacerbate the problem. Optimizing your website’s speed ensures that as you grow and scale, your website can handle the increased traffic and content.
• Competitive Advantage: A faster website can give you a competitive advantage. If your website is faster than your competitors’, you’re more likely to retain and attract users. In the online world, where users can go from one site to another in seconds, speed can be a key differentiator.
• Conversion Rates: Slow websites can have a direct impact on conversion rates. So if your website is an online store or relies on user conversions for revenue, optimizing your website’s speed is crucial.

How is Page Load Time Different from Response Time?

Page Load Time is the time taken by Webpage to load all its contents successfully. While, Response Time is the time taken by the servers to respond to a request.

Response Time does not account for the time taken to load all the Webpage elements. It entirely depends on the server efficiency. While Page Load Time also depends on the JavaScript and CSS of the Webpage.

What is a Good Page Load Time on a Website?

While an Ideal Page Load Time is a typically between 0-2 seconds, however, a load time of 3 seconds is also considered as fine. Anything beyond 3 seconds i.e. 4 seconds or more is considered as slow.

Key Metrics for Checking Website Load Time

How to Check Website Loading Time?

To test the loading time of a website across multiple devices and browsers, QA teams need a reliable tool. It should instantly generate a detailed report that provides actionable insights with respect to key metrics like TTFB, Response time, Page load time, etc.

BrowserStack SpeedLab is a one-stop platform where QA testers can test their website speed on a dedicated testing infrastructure.

Here’s a simple 3 step process to test your website loading speed using SpeedLab for Free:

Step 1. Choose your preferred device for testing on SpeedLab

Step 2. Insert your website URL and select a browser for testing

Step 3. Click on “Get Free Report”

Once you’ve completed the testing process with the selected Browser, a detailed report will be generated that shows complete insights on key metrics such as mobile & desktop speed score, cross-browser compatibility, page load time, and many other factors.

The report covers key metrics for each platform and load time is represented in milliseconds (Refer to the image above). With such extensive detail at hand, teams can instantly analyze performance bottlenecks for specific device-browser combinations.

Users do not need to worry about evaluating separate reports for unique device-browser combinations. This is because SpeedLab collates results for all combinations and presents them in a single report, designed for easy visibility and analysis.

Check Website Loading Time

Reasons for a Slow Page Load Time

Here are some of the common reasons for a Slow Page Load Time in a Website:

• Large File Sizes: Large images, videos, or other media files can significantly increase page load times.
• Unoptimized Images: Images that are not compressed or properly scaled can slow down a page.
• Too Many HTTP Requests: Each element on a page (scripts, images, stylesheets) requires an HTTP request, which can add up and increase load times.
• Inefficient Code: Bloated or poorly written HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can cause delays in rendering the page.
• Lack of Browser Caching: Not leveraging browser caching means that resources are downloaded every time a user visits a page, rather than being reused.
• Server Response Time: Slow server response times due to server overload, inefficient code, or high traffic can delay page loading.
• Web Hosting Issues: Shared hosting or low-quality hosting providers can impact load times if server resources are limited.
• Too Many Redirects: Multiple redirects can add additional load time as the browser has to process each one.
• Heavy JavaScript Execution: Large or inefficient JavaScript files, or scripts that run complex tasks, can block the rendering of the page.
• Render-Blocking Resources: CSS and JavaScript files that block the rendering of the page until they are fully loaded can delay the display of content.
• Unoptimized Database Queries: Inefficient or slow database queries can increase server response time, affecting page load speed.
• Too Many Plugins or Extensions: For CMS platforms like WordPress, excessive plugins or poorly optimized plugins can slow down page performance.
• Network Issues: Poor internet connections or high network latency can also contribute to slower page load times.

How do you Improve the Average Page Loading Time?

Here are a few tips to improve the average Page Loading Time of your website:

• Optimize Images and Media by using image compression tools to reduce file sizes without significant quality loss. Use different image sizes for different devices and modern image formats like WebP for better compression and quality.
• Minimize HTTP Requests by merging multiple CSS and JavaScript files into single files to reduce the number of requests.Use CSS Sprites to combine multiple images into a single sprite sheet to reduce the number of image requests.
• Leverage Browser Caching by setting expiry dates to Cache headers and using cache-control headers by implementing Cache-Control and ETag headers to control caching behavior.
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to serve static assets (images, stylesheets, scripts) from geographically distributed servers and reduce Latency, hence improving load times.
• Minify and Compress Code by removing unnecessary characters, whitespace, and comments from code to reduce file sizes. Also, enable server-side compression for text-based resources like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Optimize Server Performance by selecting a high-performance hosting provider that suits your website’s traffic needs. Implement server-side caching solutions and optimize Database Queries.
• Reduce Redirects to avoid additional HTTP requests and delays.
• Defer Loading of Non-Essential Resources by lazy loading of images and iframes to load content only when it’s visible to the user. Use async and defer attributes for JavaScript to prevent blocking the rendering of the page.
• Optimize CSS and JavaScript by using Inline critical CSS needed for the initial rendering of the page, and load non-critical CSS asynchronously. Place JavaScript at the bottom of the page or use asynchronous loading to prevent blocking the rendering of HTML.
• Monitor and Analyze Performance by using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, or GTmetrix to improve page load times. Continuously monitor performance to identify and address new issues as they arise.
• Improve Web Design and Layout by reducing complexity in web design to minimize rendering times. Use lightweight and efficient frameworks and libraries to avoid unnecessary bloat.

Conclusion

Teams or individuals must continue to test website speeds at regular intervals. Doing so helps them evaluate website performance on specific devices or browsers. This lets them keep a website accessible, inclusive, and appealing to users using different devices and browsers. It would also help keep the website SEO-friendly and competitive in a constantly evolving and shifting digital landscape.