E-commerce is steadily growing as more people now prefer to stay in their homes and find online shopping much more convenient than going to physical stores. It’s likely that this trend will continue throughout the years, so the industry will thrive with the development of dedicated technology.

Although the market is now stronger than ever, it comes as no surprise to many business owners that the online marketplace is becoming increasingly competitive. Enticing customers to visit your site is already challenging as it is, but getting them to stay and shop is a different battle.

One of the most vital aspects that users first encounter when visiting an eCommerce site is the loading speed. People now live fast lives and have no time to waste—if your website does not show up right away, the odds are that they will not bother to wait for it. They will simply go back and click on a competitor’s page, even if it loads just a second or two faster than yours.

Many businesses try to optimise their pages with spectacular pictures, videos, and animations, ultimately failing to consider their eCommerce sites’ loading speeds. Doing so can cost brands thousands of pounds in lost sales, so it’s not something to ignore. If you want to minimise load times, here are some tips to remember:

Tip #1: Minimise Redirection

Many eCommerce sites use redirection to transfer users to another location on the site or even another file or website. Although it can be convenient if you want to guide potential customers towards essential landing pages, the process is more resource-intensive and can significantly affect loading speeds. It’s best to test your pages and remove unnecessary redirects.

Tip #2: Invest in Reliable Hosting Services

Many eCommerce sites will have peak times and require more resources than at any other time, so it’s best to work with flexible and dedicated server hosting services that can handle shifts in traffic and transactions. 

The hosting service must be able to add site resources in high-traffic times and reduce them after the peak. With these capabilities, you can avoid delays and maximise uptime so that your customers can visit your site without encountering any problems.

Tip #3: Limit Thumbnail Image Sizes

Although high-quality images are always enticing and even necessary for eCommerce sites, they require considerable processing power and resources. They’re especially resource-intensive if your website displays thumbnails by pulling from your product pages. For this reason, it’s best to limit thumbnail sizes to help your website load faster.

Tip #4: Use a Content Delivery Network

Content delivery networks (CDNs) can drastically reduce your eCommerce site’s loading times, as they distribute content delivery loads across multiple servers in different geographic locations. By dispersing resources throughout various locations, users can experience faster load speeds and enhanced website performance.

Get Dedicated Server Hosting in the UK

Slow-loading websites are never fun to visit, especially if you’re looking to purchase something you need. If your eCommerce site takes forever to load, you’ll risk losing hundreds of potential customers and possibly thousands of pounds in sales. By keeping these tips in mind, you can optimise your site to have ideal loading times and provide visitors with the best possible online shopping experience.

If you’re looking for dedicated server hosting services in the UK, Binary Racks has you covered. We offer optimal and reliable server solutions to host your business website. With high-speed and DDoS-protected networks, we can help your page stay up and running 24/7. Contact us today!