Make it Faster!

There’s not too many things more awesome in our society than speed. We love fast! We love fast cars, fast internet, fast food, and fast customer service. So, I’m not that surprised we want fast websites, too! In fact, that’s all I’ve been reading about on the “digital waves” of late. It’s starting to get annoying.

I don’t disagree that websites should be fast. But, every time there is a new “requirement” that a website should meet, programmers and web gurus jump on the bandwagon (or soap box) ranting and arguing their side of the issue. They ramble on and on about every technique applicable to reducing loads on the server, compressing files, browser caching, and every other buzz word that comes along.

Here’s my point. We need to build fast websites. But, how fast is fast? Fast is relative to what you’re trying to load. If you have a small WordPress website with a few images on the page and one CSS file, you aren’t going to benefit from certain compression techniques as you would with a larger site. So, why create standards across the board? It doesn’t make sense.

You wouldn’t need Brembo racing brakes on your 170 Horsepower Nissan. Sure, your car would stop a bit faster. But, you won’t benefit from them the way you might driving a German sports car with 400+ Horses under the hood. In the same way, certain approaches to web building simply get in the way of productivity, efficiency, and budget. I like to look at the project as a whole and determine which methods suit the site I’m building.

About the author

Brian Jardine

Brian is the founder of DevSavvy, a digital development agency based out of Atlanta, GA. He has worked with agency partners like marketing strategists and graphic design firms, building their client websites. He also provides key insights to his clients, consulting in areas relating to ROI and website performance.