How to improve web app performance?

The internet is a very fast moving place. We are now used to super-quick responses when we order a takeaway, or an Uber, or ask Alexa to turn the lights on. As websites become more interactive and engaging, users expect similar responsiveness from the websites they visit. This puts pressure on website owners to ensure their sites load quickly and remain responsive at all times. Users won’t wait around for your site to catch up – they’ll simply click back and find an alternative source of information elsewhere. Web app performance optimization (WPO) is the process of identifying and addressing performance issues in your website. It helps you improve load speed so that users have a faster and more pleasant browsing experience. There are many ways you can optimize your web app performance – here are five useful tips:

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A Content Delivery Network is a system of distributed servers that caches your website’s static assets. These assets include images, CSS files, and JavaScript libraries. Typically, static assets are served to each visitor from the same server as the website’s hosting platform. Using a CDN means that your static assets are distributed across multiple servers around the world.

This means that a user in New York will be served the same static assets from a server in New York rather than a server in California where your website is hosted. The benefit of this is that the website visitor in New York will receive the static assets quicker than if they were coming from California. This will also reduce the overall load on your hosting platform as a result of reduced bandwidth usage.

Use Responsive Web Design

Picture an artist creating a masterpiece, one that alters its form and style to meet the viewer’s perspective. Now, apply that imagery to the digital realm, and you’ve stepped into the world of responsive design. This design philosophy sees each device – the sleek desktop, the handy tablet, or the ubiquitous smartphone – as an individual canvas on which your website paints its story.

In this chameleon-like ability lies the essence of ‘responsive’ – a website that changes its colors and form based on the screen it graces. It flows like water, filling the container that is the gadget’s screen, ensuring that no space is left untouched and yet no content is distorted.

Imagine being able to explore a website, as easy as a walk in the park, on any device you own. No need to wrestle with settings, no need to download additional apps. Simply open, browse, and enjoy. It’s like having a book that adjusts its font size depending on your preference, ensuring an effortless reading experience.

In this dance of adaptability, the user is the ultimate beneficiary. With a responsive design, your audience can engage with your content in a seamless fashion, no matter the device they choose. They’re no longer constrained by technology but empowered by it.

Combine and Minify CSS and JavaScript

Venture with me to an unseen yet vital realm of website creation, where the art of combining and shrinking CSS and JavaScript files dances in tandem. Much like a sculptor chisels away at the superfluous stone, this process shears down your website’s code bulk, a veritable workout to keep your website lean and agile. The speedier download of your website’s pages becomes the evident testament of this meticulous trimming.

Imagine setting 100KB as the magic threshold for your CSS and JavaScript files – a digit deemed manageable for optimal performance. Find your code exceeding this limit? Fear not! By merging various files into a singular entity and shrinking it down – a process known as minification – you can effectively diminish its size. Whether you choose to do this by hand, or by leveraging the capabilities of your website’s CMS, the result is the same: a leaner, faster code.

Think of it as creating a symphony where each CSS and JavaScript related to a specific feature or function sings together in harmony within a single file. Not only does this bring aesthetic cleanliness, but it also fosters an enviable state of organization. The cherry on top is how effortless it becomes to spot flawed or antiquated code amidst such cleanliness.

Use a Fast Web Server

The type of hosting platform you use will have a big impact on your web app performance. Achieving the fastest times to first byte and page load times requires you to choose the right hosting platform. Make sure you choose a cloud hosting platform that supports HTTP/2. This protocol is the latest version of HTTP and it allows for multiple concurrent connections. HTTP/2 is the default protocol on all modern web browsers, so it’s important to make sure that your website is compatible with it. The better your hosting platform, the quicker your website will load.

Don’t Forget About UX and A/B Testing

Every aspect of your website should be designed to meet the needs of your users if you’re optimizing for UX. If you’re focusing on UX, you’ll ensure that your website is well designed and user-friendly. This will result in a better experience for your visitors, which in turn will boost your conversion rates and revenue.

A/B testing is a great way of measuring the effectiveness of strategies you use to improve your web app performance. A/B testing helps you to determine which elements of your website are more effective. It’s a good idea to implement these tips into your website and then A/B test them to see which ones improve your web app performance the most.

Web app performance: Conclusion

With growing competition and the potential for brand new customers, having a slow website can be a huge disadvantage. Even if your company is a well-known brand, you still want to make your website as accessible and easy-to-use as possible.

With more people using the internet to search for companies and products that they want to purchase, it’s important that your website is easy to find. With the right amount of effort and expertise, you can optimize your web app.