Faster Websites Increase Profitability
When it comes to designing fast websites, I guess I’m a dinosaur. I remember the distinct sound of my 56k modem firing up and the challenges of trying to develop a website that would look good and load fast on slow connection. To me, a big part of user-centered design is fast loading pages and a snappy interface whether you are designing for 56k or 3g.
Like any pure blooded redneck- I believe faster is always better and It looks like having a fast website pays off where it counts, a recent internal study by Wal-Mart found that:
- A 100 millisecond delay resulted in a 1% DROP in revenue
- A 500 millisecond delay resulted in a 20% DROP in traffic
After
I’ve wrote about website speed being king before and it’s nice to see real results. I can’t begin to imagine what a 1% drop in revenue might look like for the Wal-Mart website? I’m guessing a redneck like me could probably buy a pretty fast truck with 1% of the profits from an hour or two. 🙂