Tools to Measure Web Page Load Time
The issues of importance regarding Web site content and search engine optimization change as Web technologies advances. Issues such as page and content duplication and URL prefixes are becoming the issues of the past. New issues rising in importance include Web page load time and the quality of the content.
The load time factor is an issue that every Web site owner and Webmaster should look at seriously. Any improvement resulting in reduced load time of a Web page could have direct affect on the overall Web site's success. Load time optimization includes trimming and refactoring Html, CSS and Java Script code; reduce image sizes, merging related files together and use memory caches.
Smaller and fewer data files, that make up a Web page, will result in faster Web pages that in return means fewer bytes spent on storage and bandwidth and for many Web site owners that means lower cost of running a Web site. Faster Web pages will make a Web site's visitors happy and could increase their willingness of doing business and return again.
The first thing to do before optimizing a Web site for speed is to measure the current load time and use that measurement to measure the results of future optimization efforts. Below you will find a list of Web services that help you measure the load time of your Web site. Trying more than one is a good idea to find out if your Web site has a need for speed.