As consumers, we demand the quickest results from the provider with the most stars. And with Google, accessible at any moment from our smartphones, we can have just that! It has allowed us access to a world of knowledge and a myriad of options all within seconds. And it has raised our expectations of websites and productsThat’s why competition has taken on an entirely new meaning in the digital age. And as such, you’ll need to consider a few things for your business’s success. First of all, you cannot ignore your digital presence. No matter your industry, this should be a key aspect of your marketing tactic. Make sure that it is up to date and on par with search engine demands. A major factor in investing in digital marketing involves the speed of your website. You may have the sharpest-looking, most well-structured, and organized website around. But if it’s slow, you’ll be overlooked…within a matter of seconds. In this article, why and how to speed up WordPress sites.

5 Reasons Why You Need to Speed up WordPress Sites

There are several reasons to speed up your WordPress site. However, all point to your bottom line. The speed of your website has a significant influence on the number of customers and conversions that it will generate:

1: Website speed as it pertains to search engines.

2: Website speed as it pertains to lost opportunities.

Think of those who’ve perhaps landed on your site, but their attention was lost in a matter of seconds. They then likely left for another business’s website. Each visitor had the potential to choose your services and pay you money. These are the lost opportunities, the missed chances that could have been yours had your site functioned more efficiently. Make sure to give your business every chance for success.

3: Website speed as it pertains to engagement.

4: Website speed as it pertains to customer conversions.

Your availability for response is also crucial. Though you may be quick to reply, your effort at times will still fail to meet each high expectation. You simply cannot be available 24/7/365. So, to rise to the occasion, you might consider implementing tools like live chat, click-to-call, or click-to-text for the times that you can’t be there.

5: Website speed as it pertains to customer expectations

Consider these trends, also from a Google research study :

Each reason for having a speedy site points back to your bottom line. Success begins with your marketability. And today’s world calls for a fast website.

Top 5 Reasons Why Your Website is Slow…And How to Fix It. 

How to Speed up WordPress Sites:

1. Your website server. A website server is where your website’s files are stored online. While it may initially appear as an unlikely culprit for a lag in load time, this is an essential factor to consider. Most people buy their own hosting, usually costing them five to twenty dollars a month on a shared hosting environment. It is a cheap and simple solution. However, these servers host thousands of websites all in one place. As a result, all of the websites are affected by one another, causing serious slowdown to everyone’s site. An alternate option for hosting might provide faster speeds, but it will be pricey. The higher quality hosting servers can run anywhere from 150-1000s of dollars per month. So, if the cost of top tier servers does not enthuse you, but want more from your hosting, what should you do? We at Creative 7 Designs offer a best-of-both-worlds hosting solution: a commercial-grade, dedicated server on which we keep all of our sites for a small price to our clients. With fewer sites on one server, each can run with more speed and controlled security. Our closed system in which everything is tightly monitored and upgraded as needed to continue optimal performance allows a less expensive and far better hosting solution! 
2. Images on your site. So often, we’ll encounter images on websites that are not optimized correctly. When full-sized images are uploaded to your site, they require an extensive load time, slowing everything down. Bottom line: make sure that your photos and graphics are adequately optimized to ensure quick load time for your entire site.
3. Bloated files and databases. There may be an excessive amount of unused files. After years of continuous adding of files and plugins to your website, it will become overgrown and, ultimately, slow. Take out and delete every non-essential that is eating up your load time. Make way for a faster site with a lighter database!
4. Unneeded plugins pertaining to CMS and WordPress. You may currently find yourself with a load of unused or unoptimized plugins, all vying for the load time of your site. So often, people will turn on a plugin for everything, leaving them with 40-50 of them, most of which go unused and forgotten. Make sure only to use the most well-optimized and to use as few as possible. Take note that each will load on the front-end of your website, whether you’re using them or not. In fact, we at Creative 7 Designs are beginning to move away from WordPress themes because they tend to be too top-heavy. Instead, we’re using page builders for WordPress design.
5. There’s too much on the page. Are your web pages stocked with flashing lights, images in every corner, lengthy stretches of text, and interactive PacMan games? If you answered yes, you might have a bit too much going on. Each of your fancy features makes your pages too big and heavy for a quick load time. Rid your pages of any excess thing to lighten up your load and opt for speediness.

Your online presence is your window to the world. It is your means of reaching potential clients and customers with optimal efficiency and ease. So, make sure that it is up to date, looking great, and running fast. Don’t get stuck in the old ways of the web. Meet expectations, and enjoy your resulting success when you speed up your WordPress site!