When asked “why is my website slow?” the answer I give nearly every time is “because of several reasons”.

Think of your website like a marathon runner. At their best, they’re a lean, mean, running machine. But if they’re loaded down with a backpack, carrying water bottles in each hand, wearing clogs, and, on top of it all, they slept poorly because their apartment’s walls are so thin they can hear their neighbors snoring – they’re not going to perform at their best.

Let’s start with the core of the problem. Your website’s host. Just like our runner’s crappy apartment, if you’re on a subpar website host that can be a large contributor to why your site is slow. With hosting, you get what you pay for most of the time.
And since the most common type of hosting is Shared Hosting, think of it as apartment complexes for websites. That cheap apartment with paper-thin walls, no elevator, and questionable neighbors, yeah, that’s what cheap hosting is like. Compare that to a high-end condo where there’s a doorman, elevators, and an onsite maintenance person, that is what good shared hosting is like.

[If your website’s host doesn’t have the proper infrastructure to support your website properly, move out and find a better one.]

Next is your website’s structure. How was it built? If your site is built using outdated or clunky methods it can cause problems. Just like the runner’s clog shoes, they’ll work but they are far from efficient. When your website is built with optimized technologies it turns those clogs into lightweight running shoes.

Then finally, your website’s content. Surprisingly, this can be the biggest reason a site is slow. All those images, widgets, and doo-dads that make your website prettier or add particular functionality can weigh it down. Now, there are some essential items, like the runner’s water bottles or that request a quote form on your site, but that backpack full of crap, that can go.

Those unneeded or bulky items on your website can be unoptimized images or, most often, design features that add a cool factor but ultimately do nothing but slow your site down. These features are commonly seen as animated sliders, graphics, or even additional non-essential functionalities.

Now, don’t get me wrong, having a nice-looking site is important. But create it for your customers, not to win design awards. There are some items that are essential, like form software or a shopping cart but the majority of the time reducing that giant backpack down into a smaller, more optimized, fanny back of goodies can turn your website from a lumbering beast to a lean mean, lead generating machine.

We all know the benefits of having a fast, optimized, website but the biggest benefit is delighting your customers. Businesses only have seconds to impress folks, so losing them to a spinning hourglass.

Still have questions? Drop them in the comments. Oh, and if you liked this video make sure to hit that like button! I’m Sarah from Third Angle, thanks for watching.

Want to dive deeper? Awesome! Check out my video Why You NEED to update your website. Because if you have to think about the last time you updated it… it’s been too long. Oh, and if you like this kind of content then make sure to subscribe so you never miss a thing.