Understanding the Importance of Mobile Speed
The first thing people get wrong about mobile speed is thinking it’s a technical problem only IT and web developers should be bothered about. I used to believe this as well, but the more I researched, the more I realised - this is seemingly a customer experience issue at its core. It’s less about the code and more about what gets delivered for the user. The lag that people talk about isn’t just for loading but also for navigating, switching between pages, tapping on links and images, making purchases, etc.
That’s why you’ll notice that brands who’ve worked on their mobile speed don’t just look better - they feel better to interact with. You know those moments when you’re scrolling through an e-commerce website on your phone and suddenly nothing works because you tapped too fast or too much. That doesn’t happen with brands who’ve spent money on enhancing their mobile experience.
I believe it’s because they see the long-term value of keeping users engaged by delivering smooth and seamless experiences every single time. But here’s where things get a bit murky - some platforms have certain limitations or restrictions (like Shopify) which prevent you from working on all aspects of mobile speed without changing your plan or getting a developer involved. So if it feels like there are roadblocks in your way when trying to increase mobile speed, don’t stress - sometimes that happens because you’re already at full throttle for your plan and platform.
The way I see it, overall though, once you know what controls exist in the backend for improving mobile speed on your platform - make sure every optimisation box is checked.
Key Factors Affecting Mobile Load Time
I think most people believe that load speed only depends on their internet connection. While a slow internet speed can certainly be a part of the problem, it’s not the only factor that impacts your mobile load time. Your phone’s processor, the website you’re visiting, and even the way your phone’s set up can all have an effect.
For example, if you’re on a super old phone, it might not have the capacity to load content-rich websites quickly. Websites with a lot of graphics or videos can also take up a lot of bandwidth and increase load time. But it’s not all about your device.
The actual server behind the website you’re browsing on is presumably also important. A slow server or one that’s further away from you will probably cause lag. Bad coding practices and poorly written scripts on websites will also mean longer loading times.
It can get tricky though, especially when you consider operating systems as well. The way I see it, sometimes just making sure that your os is up to date can make all the difference. Clearing out your cache can also help a website you visit frequently run faster on your phone. But there’s also an issue with updating software too frequently because that means older phones might not be able to keep up and will fall behind in terms of loading time.
Sort of. So it’s kind of like a balancing act - keeping things updated but not so much that you risk making things slower than before, or worse yet - causing your phone to stop working altogether. I feel like mobile optimisation should be something developers and tech companies are thinking about more so people can actually use their phones for what they want, not just to check emails.
Implementing Responsive Design for Faster Navigation
I see so many brands make the rookie error of treating a mobile website as something to be ‘tacked on’ to their main site. Sounds Like in the end, you get a mobile site that’s a poor imitation of its desktop cousin - but it still isn’t quick enough. That’s because people often think the solution is just to shrink everything down and have it fit in a smaller screen.
Unfortunately, mobile speed isn't about scaling things down. It’s about actually optimising the site for that device, that platform, and that customer. Responsive design is a different beast, entirely.
It demands you take your desktop layout and modify it to adjust to different screen sizes. Yes, this can be achieved through scale changes but also involves changes in resolution, scripting abilities, image size optimisation, rearrangement of menus, unification of content blocks and so much more. Ultimately, your website must change based on the device each person is using.
Responsive design can be quite challenging - there’s no denying it. But once you figure out the flow for your brand, it’s one of the best long-term strategies for continuously improving navigation speed on your website. This one change can relatively dramatically increase mobile scrolling speed and interaction for any brand.
But if you’re going to focus on only one thing when implementing responsive web design at scale, it should be keeping the navigation menu simple. People are increasingly using mobile sites to ‘window shop’ online - they want easy access to their favourite looks/products with the option of exploring similar categories quickly. And if they can’t find these things easily, they’re out. Mobile first indexing combined with easy access menus (think: hamburger menus) is hardly ever a fantastic way to make navigation easier and increase scroll speed - both big wins for any growing brand.
Minimizing HTTP Requests for Improved Performance
It seems like people often think that minimising HTTP requests is all about switching out images for text or resizing them. But it’s not that simple. Sometimes an image makes the story, and as a fashion business, you need to show people your products with all their details – especially if you’re selling them online.
They also often get stuck in the binary of “either we have big beautiful images or we have a website that loads quickly. ” It’s almost as if those are two opposing goals.
The reality, however, is that you can have both. What it comes down to is understanding the difference between on-site files and third-party files. On-site files are images, videos and animations that your team creates for your website.
Third-party files are things like plugins, widgets and pop-ups that external sources create for your website. As a fashion brand trying to build a community of loyal shoppers, you can’t do away with either. You want your website to look good while also collecting important data and providing easy ways for your customers to access what they’re looking for or talk to someone from your brand about returns, exchanges or fit.
So it’s important to identify what matters more to you and reduce the files on your website accordingly.
Leveraging Browser Caching to Enhance Speed
There’s a common misconception that browser caching is a little more than just storing website data for later. What most people don’t get is sort of that its real potential lies in supercharging your site speed, even on patchy mobile networks. When users return to your site, elements like logos or stylesheets don’t have to be reloaded all over again. That means less waiting and more viewing.
The reality is, browser caching is almost never the ultimate multitasker, quietly working behind the scenes. It makes all those individual page visits feel less like déjà vu and more like fresh discoveries. It might sound too simple to work, but trust me - it does.
And when you get into the nitty-gritty details, things get interesting. Setting cache-control headers or expiration dates tells browsers what to keep and for how long - so if someone comes back in a few days, it’ll still be ready to go. Or if there are new offers or products to load, things can be updated easily without unnecessary cache delays.
Of course, browser caching isn’t some magic fix - there are layers of complexity involved. There are pages that update daily, like blogs or product galleries or news sections with hourly updates. Figuring out how long these should be cached for can sometimes feel tricky and confusing - what if you’re missing out on conversions because users aren’t seeing new collections. There are also different types of content (like videos or high-res images) that have their own unique lifecycles and caching rules.
It’s not a cookie-cutter solution at all - but the flexibility of browser caching allows for more options depending on what your brand needs at any given time. Browser caching is one of the most straightforward ways to enhance your site speed and user experience. More importantly, it’s one of the few features that deliver immediate results without too much legwork - there’s something about instant impact that makes us feel like we’re really doing something right.
Utilizing Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) for Quick Access
People seem to think Content Delivery Networks are about shoving your content in as many places as possible, as quickly as possible, but that’s not quite right. It’s more like a game of snakes and ladders where you position those ‘ladders’ for the fastest climb - not dropping them at random spots on the board. I Suppose if you do it wrong, you leave big sections of the internet ‘board’ slower than others. CDNs are more like your strategic partners who help amplify what you’re already doing.
They’re the best at doing their job because they have access to servers all over the world, making it easier for your website to be accessed everywhere (or nearly everywhere - still working on that signal in the Great Barrier Reef). You can presumably work with them to locate your audiences geographically and determine where else there might be an untapped one for you, then use their advice to set up servers closest to them. Of course it can feel a little dystopian sometimes to realise just how much data people have on your audiences (and maybe even you) and how closely we can monitor patterns and behaviour. But I suppose it’s not entirely a bad thing if we draw limits on how that data is often used.
There are ways CDNs can get a little chaotic too, which can often happen when websites get attacked or experience unexpected traffic spikes. You want a CDN that balances security with speed with scalability. Your best bet is to find a CDN partner who comes highly recommended and is more focused on solving problems.
In an always-on world, it’s easy to think you’ll get messages from them at all hours talking about SEO this or browser cache that, but truthfully when CDNs are working well they’re almost invisible. More or less. Kind of like pole dancers in dark clubs - they don’t stand out unless you want them to.