No matter the platform you are using, there are a few simple steps you can take to optimize your page load speed:
Use a host designed for business websites
If you're hosting your site yourself (using WordPress or a similar platform for your landing pages), you should be aware that not all hosts were made equal.
Many hosts will offer ultra-low priced hosting (sub $10/month) but the cost of this is felt in terms of site speed - these hosting providers pack 100's of sites onto each server and impose strict restrictions which slow site performance.
We recommend SiteGround if you're just getting started, and Kinsta if you're ready to scale your business. We've used these platforms ourselves at OptimizePress and found they offer a good balance of affordability and service.
Optimize your page images
Reducing the file size for any images used on your landing page is an easy quick win when it comes to landing page optimization. Ensure your images are no larger than 2x the size they are on the page (to account for retina screens) and run images through Tinypng to reduce file size.
Minimise video use or use video facade
If you embed videos on your page (perhaps to help boost landing page conversions and convey your offer) you will often find these negatively impact load speed. That's because a lot of the video content is loading (buffering) in the background.
To help avoid this, you should not load the video content until the video is interacted with. This is sometimes called a "video facade". If you're using OptimizePress, the OptimizeBuilder includes an option for you to turn this on to help your videos load faster automatically.
Run your page through PageSpeed Insights & GTMetrix
To get an idea of how your page is performing, you should run three quick tests:
1. Open your page in a fresh browser or private browser window. Ensure you're not logged into your site and have cleared your cookies and cache. This gives you an initial feel for how quickly your page loads.
2. Run your page through GTMetrix. This will scan your page and give you a score - and recommendations on how to optimize your page further. If you're using a hosted platform you may not be able to tweak many settings but WordPress sites have much more flexibility.
3. Run your page through Google PageSpeed Insights. Treat this one with care as their site scanner can be notoriously varied in how it reports your page speed, but again it will give you some recommendations on what to improve on your pages.
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For a more detailed breakdown of Core Web Vitals and how to set this up using our platform, be sure to check out our previous articles:
Optimizations Update To improve Core Web Vitals
How To Improve Core Web Vitals In WordPress
2 replies to "5 Landing Page Mistakes To Avoid & What To Do Instead"
Thank you for sharing this article, I’m recently learning to use data tools like: Google Analysis and the like, it’s a headache, thank you for your article for saving me!
You’re very welcome Ken. If you have any questions, please let us know and we’ll do our best to help you further.