Recently Google Analytics announced the
new Site Speed report. The new report will help you measure and optimize page load times. A faster website helps to make for a better user experience. Here are some general rules to follow to help optimize page loading.
Minify the code. Reduce unnecessary characters from the code, like HTML comments. Smaller external scripts, like CSS makes a big difference on page load times. Merge all of your javascripts into one large file.
Spare the Bling. Use graphics and Flash sparingly. Make sure all rich media is compressed as much as possible to reduce file sizes.
Skinny is in. Try to keep your page file sizes under 250K including the images. This will vary depending on how graphic intensive your content is.
Most internet users spend less than a minute on the average website. If your webpage takes too long to load visitors will simply look somewhere else. At the end of the day a better web experience goes a long way to building a loyal visitor base and increasing conversions.