Web Resources | Everything you need to know to succeed online

By Gail Seymour

The Google Closure Compiler is one of the latest tools released by Google in its never-ending quest for enhanced user experience. Unlike iGoogle and Google apps, the Closure Compiler is not aimed at the end user though. Instead it is one of the suite of tools designed to help Web developers create faster, cleaner code. That’s because Google has started including page speed as one of it’s ranking criteria, in recognition of the fact Web users don’t want to sit around waiting for pages to download. continue »

h2>Don’t make visitors wait for your Web site to load.

If visitors to your Web site have to wait 30 seconds or more for it to come up on their browsers, you could be losing up to half of them. With content delivery networks and more optimization techniques, a number of Web sites have improved their load times. It’s not surprising that these sites rate higher on visitors’ lists and tend to be more successful. Optimizing your site’s load time, or reducing the total amount of time it takes for your home page to display to visits can greatly improve your ability to keep visitors on your site. continue »

When a person enters a domain name into the browser or requests information from a Web site, that request is normally routed through a series of servers until it reaches the server where the Web site is housed. The longer the distance the request must travel, the more time it takes to reach its destination. The same rule applies to the information that is returned to the user in response to the request. continue »

A content delivery network (CDN) consists of groups of servers spread out over a large geographic area (usually on different continents) that work together to speed up the delivery of large files to end users across the globe. It is a high-end solution for high-volume Web sites that transmit large amounts of data — usually media files or images — and serve customers who are spread out geographically. continue »

Online shoppers will wait a maximum of four seconds for your page to load before clicking away, according to a 2006 JupiterResearch study. Shaving seconds off your page loading times can increase your sales and your bottom line. Here are some tips for cutting your Web page load times. continue »