Load-Time and the Art of Infrastructure Selection

According to a 2012 study by Brand Perfect, 51% of US shoppers say they would abandon an online purchase if the site loaded slowly. Radware's 2013 study found only a 2 second delay in page load times led to abandonment rates of up to 87%. Studies by Akamai.com go on to indicate that 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less, 40% will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load, and 44% will tell their friends about unfavorable web experiences. Load-time, along with IP quality, also affects search engine rankings.

Today, slow load-times simply aren't tolerated. It doesn't matter how great your product or service is if no one is looking at it by the time your page gets around to loading.

Problem

With traditional web hosting, your site is hosted on a dedicated server with specific memory and bandwidth limits, but you're not alone. Numerous other sites are operated on the same server, each vying for their piece of the pie. The media-heavy sites and sites experiencing higher-than-normal website traffic on your server will use larger chunks of the available bandwidth and disk space, leaving your site with access to less. This can give your potential customers a headache in the form of inconsistent performance.

Accomplishing faster page load times on an overcrowded server commonly means stripping page content, leaving your company to be represented by a forgettable skeleton of the original experience you intended your website would provide.

Solution

With a dedicated server, you are entitled to the entire bandwidth and disk space. Your pages will be delivered rapidly to your customers, without being impacted by other sites. The full bandwidth and disk space supported by a dedicated server also allow your company to stand out with engaging, content-rich pages, designed to optimize every web interaction. Dedicated servers do cost more than hosting plans, but site abandonment means fewer conversions. So, then, which actually costs more?

About the Author
Scott studied Marketing at the University of Texas at Dallas and is now an Account Executive with Limestone Networks. He helps organizations achieve alignment between their business strategy and infrastructure by offering customized, scalable network solutions. Outside of the office, Scott can be found exploring the great outdoors or enjoying a cold one while watching the game.

Say hello:
s.claeys@limestonenetworks.com