How Big is Too Big When it Comes to Custom Web Design?
When
it comes to websites, size does make a big difference. Smaller websites
download faster for those who request them online. The size of a website is
determined by physical file sizes and not actual sizes of the page appearing on
the screen.
Given
that every second counts while downloading the web-page, custom web design teams focus on optimal size rather than cumbersome sites that are hard to load. The
abandonment rates of web pages, according to research, happens only after
seconds of waiting time. Internet surfers are impatient when clicking a link,
so when websites slow almost instantaneously, viewers don’t hesitate to press
the back button.
- Why Big Sites Create Big Problems?
Web
pages typically comprise elements like the HTML code, style sheets, images,
JavaScript, media such as video, flash, audio etc. as well as custom fonts.
Apart from typically small HTML codes and style sheet codes, the file size of
remaining elements can be large depending on how web pages have been developed.
JavaScript
contains plenty of functions to make up special features of the website such as
rotating banners, form validations, hover-overs and pop-ups. JavaScript can
take up file size, especially for ecommerce sites with bespoke functionalities.
It can be a challenge to reduce size without breaking functionalities, without
the expertise of a web design team.
Images
can vary depending on size, quality, and file type. Web pages without a vast
number of images can perform badly from the conversion point of view. But webpages
that need detailed imagery must have graphics optimised for quick page loading
speeds. Video encoding methods like MPEGs crunch data under specific
conditions. Additionally, custom fonts are bigger in size, if different weights
and styles are added.
- How Custom Design Can Help
A
web page is oversized, when images and text are too cumbersome and large in
file size. Image optimisation and simple copies are the keys to success. Web
pages can use gigantic images and then tell browsers to shrink it down so it
looks awesome in design, without impacting website speed.
Getting
rid of massive banner or background images that are over-elaborate is also
important. Using plain backgrounds or removing banners can impact conversion
rates, too so split testing is advisable. Adjust the quality of the images,
remove unnecessary metadata and focus on reducing image size. Graphics
contain plenty of hidden data like SLR
camera settings and geo-locations. Using image sprites also helps.
- What is the Perfect Website Size?
So,
how much is too big when it comes to custom web design? The ideal web page size
has no consensus. Even if one gets closer to the answer for certain websites,
answers will change across time as attitudes and technologies change. The ideal
website size depends on contents one has to show and the audience one has.
Reducing website size can speed up download times, but it should not impact
conversion rates, as the number of visitors who convert to customers matter,
too.
Additionally,
webpage size is important for mobile phone users as many of them will be on
slow networks or have unreliable Wi-Fi signals. While faster broadband and
download speeds will make bigger websites less of a problem later, now
slow-loading web pages have a negative impact on SEO as Google penalises slow
sites. So, custom web design focuses on optimising site size, rather than
focusing on how big a site is.
making
the site one that converts and does not compromise on conversion or
functionality.