The Design of Sites: Patterns for Creating Winning Web Sites, Second Edition

Chapter L. Speeding Up Your Site

Slow Web sites are frustrating to use. A slow homepage can have a major impact on customers’ first experience with a site. They might not wait around to find out what you have to offer. Remember, many customers still connect to the Web using slow, analog modems. In March 2006, the Pew Internet & American Life Project estimated that roughly 42 percent of Americans had high-speed Internet access at home, up from 30 percent the previous year. Even if you’re designing a business site, many of your customers will be accessing your site from home, after work hours, or from a laptop on the road. Furthermore, many customers are starting to access the Web from their mobile phones. These devices will probably always trail ...