Tips for Fast Loading Times to Boost User Experience

Yesterday, an e-commerce client asked how to increase site speed without losing their marketing tracking. Here's our approach. This client is a $100M+ online retailer with a complex channel mix. Thus, they have lots of marketing pixels onsite. Our recommended approach: 1.) Remove libraries and pixels no longer needed. Audit your existing pixels and events. Disable any pixels/events that are no longer needed. Check for errors and fix any broken pixels. 2.) Tag Managers Move all 3rd party javascript (libraries/pixels) into a tag manager. Tools like GTM, Tealium, Adobe Launch benefit primarily help with data governance and standardization. However, tag managers can also minify and cache 3rd party libraries, reducing page load times. Additionally, they often have OOTB capability to set the priority (sequence) of the tags, more on this below. 3.) Server-side tagging Many ad platforms can receive events server-side vs. clientside (through javasript in the browser). Examples include Meta, Google, TikTok. This can take some of the load off the browser. There are good 3rd party tools for this, including Blotout and Elevar. Server-side tracking has the added benefit of restoring signal to the ad platforms. More conversions to the ad platform will result in better optimization and reduced ad spend. 4.) Sequencing Less-important libraries This is a biggie. If pixels aren't required for the page render, have your web-dev team defer them later in the page. This can also be done in the tag manager. Most tag managers load tags asynchronously by default. That means they load in parallel and won't block other resources from loading. Full-service performance optimization tools like Yottaa can automatically sequence the libraries and calls (very good but not cheap). In summary, I'd tackle in this order: - Remove any pixels/libraries you no longer use/need - Move all 3rd party pixels to a tag manager (GTM) - Fix broken pixels - Optimize the load order of the libraries (sequencing) - Setup server-side tracking for ad platforms if available What else would you add? #measure #digitalanalytics #marketinganalytics #ecommerce

People pay with time, if your site is slow, they will leave and spend their time somewhere else. Optimize the loading speed of your landing or site for better conversion. Analyze Current Load Times: Begin by assessing your website's current loading speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights. Optimize Images: Reduce the size of images without compromising quality to speed up loading times. Leverage Browser Caching: Utilize browser caching to store elements of your site on visitors' devices for faster access on return visits. Minimize HTTP Requests: Reduce the number of HTTP requests for different page elements, like scripts and CSS, to decrease load times. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): Implement a CDN to distribute the load, speeding up access for users regardless of their geographic location. Test your site with: https://pagespeed.web.dev/ https://tools.pingdom.com/ https://gtmetrix.com/ Every second counts!

When was the last time you checked on your site speed? Because it may be costing you money. Let's fix that 👇 Site speed doesn’t just affect whether users will stay on the site – it can also have a major impact on if they end up converting. The highest conversion rates occur on pages that load in under two seconds (I knew you were going to ask 😉). But in general, zero to four seconds is a good target. There are several factors that affect site speed: ❌ Image size Images only need to be big enough to show clearly – anything more takes up unnecessary space. Compression can help you reduce the file size of your images to make your pages load quicker. ❌ Number of HTTP requests Each element your site needs to display a page has to be requested from the website’s server. More requests mean “talking” between the server and the browser. More talking means more loading. ❌ HTML and CSS code bloat It’s remarkable how often extra code sneaks its way into your site – typically through plugins and apps, many of which you may not be using anymore and forget are there. ❌ Hosting locations Your website consists of files stored on a host server. When you access a site, your device retrieves data from these files. The closer the server is to the user, the faster the page loads. Conversely, distant servers can lead to slow loading due to latency. The longer it takes for your page to load, the more opportunities you give your customers to log right off. Even a fraction of a second can make all the difference.