Page Weight: The Dangers of a Slow Website Load Time
By: LiquidPixels | June 26, 2023 | 4 Min Read
Page weight can make or break a company’s e-commerce presence.
Many different studies on website weight and website load time have revealed one thing: web users are extremely sensitive to it. This is especially crucial in this age when 28% of business activities take place on the Internet. This makes a fast-loading website important for capturing consumers’ attention.
One of the top reasons why websites experience slow page load: unoptimized images. Here’s how e-commerce brands can avoid the dangers of page weight by not overloading their site with heavy imagery.
Understanding Page Weight
Page weight is basically a website’s “gravity.” It is a constant, perpetual, inevitable burden on a website’s user experience.
Page weight directly impacts two aspects of a website; website load time and market reach.
Page Load Speed
“Heavier” pages load slower. This, in turn, affects user experience and the individual’s overall impression of the brand.
“Page load time is the critical first step in the shopping experience. Google ranks fast sites higher in search results versus those which are slower. Companies spend countless hours and dollars shooting excellent photography, crafting their user interfaces, and marketing their wares. Yet, if a site loads too slowly, all of that effort is for naught as the shopper will have moved on.”
— Steve Kristy, CEO, LiquidPixels
Market Reach
Often, website load time on less advanced or outdated devices for heavier sites may be excruciatingly slow or just non-existent. This reduces the chance of an e-commerce site to reach individuals who may be their target audience, but are using older capable devices.
Moreover, even capable devices connecting to sites with a heavy website weight are hindered by slower networks. According to a Forbes study, 47% of users refuse to wait more than two seconds for a website to load, and 40% will leave if a website takes more than three seconds to load.
Here are other vital data to know in terms of web page loading:
- 88% are unlikely to return to a website after a bad experience
- 74% are likely to revisit a mobile-friendly website
- A mobile-friendly website has a 67% more chance of securing a purchase
- Retailers with slow-loading websites can cost US$2.6 billion in sales each year
How can brands alleviate page weight issues and slow page load time directly? By optimizing their images.
Image Optimization: A Direct Solution to Website Load Time
Image optimization is one of the most critical factors necessary for a site to render quickly on a mobile device, which is crucial for converting shoppers on their phones. According to Tool Tester, 68.2% of website visits come from mobile devices. Similarly, Google has been prioritizing mobile-first optimized websites in search rankings since September of 2020.
However, the Tool Tester study found that website access through mobile devices had the highest bounce rate, at 35.9%, compared to desktop at 31.6%. Across 23 categories, including business and industries, retail, food and drink, and autos and vehicles, accessing websites on mobile devices had the highest bounce rates compared to desktop and tablet use.
The study also found that among various industries, retail ranks highest in pages per session. This means that consumers in this segment show high engagement. Interestingly, despite the proliferation of mobile devices, more consumers access retail sites on desktops, with 5.01 average page per session, compared with mobile and tablet, with 3.92 and 4.63 average page per session, respectively.
But how can an e-commerce website achieve such a balance: delivery of high-quality imagery that is specifically tailored to a customer’s given device, in a time the customer will tolerate?
With the help of a truly dynamic visualization solution.
LiquiFire OS: A Truly Dynamic Visualization Platform
LiquidPixels LiquiFire® OS saves hard dollar costs and soft dollar resources with the most sophisticated technology stack in the industry. It enables and provides:
- Evolving product images beyond the traditional 2D space
- Providing in-depth product exploration and interaction that customers love
- Full customization and personalization to fit consumer styles and preferences
- Establishing brand-consumer relationships that endure
- Higher conversions, increased revenue, and positive ROI
Through the Content Delivery Network (CDN) data capture of the target device, LiquiFire OS automatically renders an image that self-adjusts for both transfer speed and image quality. This results in a wide spectrum where compression levels can be increased to accommodate network speeds.
LiquiFire OS balances these opposing aspects carefully so that the image quality is never compromised. What were once slow loading websites will now be able to quickly deliver the experience and service that their customers deserve without sacrificing image quality.
And the solution is tailored for different industries, such as:
- Retail: E-Commerce success is rooted in five equally-balanced factors: speed, security, visibility, design, and personalization.
- Apparel: Digitally render every product style with imagery on demand for the ultimate omnichannel customer experience.
- Jewelry: Empower your customers to create their own signature pieces, while still maintaining the accurate color, clarity, and precision craftsmanship of your designs.
- Promotional Products: Visualize promotional products with accurate presentation, including packaging, logo placement, color selection, text wrapping, and product choices.
- Home Décor: Encourage customers to experiment with patterns, colors, and custom finishes for every room in their homes.
- Sports: Create a true-to-life digital representations of a finished product. Product personalization and photorealistic renderings will drive online sales.
Want to see how LiquiFire OS improves website load time in different ways? See how just one image can transform your business by deploying LiquiFire Resolve™ on your website.