Website Optimization

Ryan Kent

Well-known member
I've been having some speed issues on my site recently. I want to do what I can to ensure my site loads as fast as possible. To that end, I googled website speed test and clicked http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/

I ran the test on my site and it showed numerous yellow/red flag issues on my forum page. Since I really haven't done much at all in the way of modifications there, I decided to check the xenforo forum page. It has pretty much the same warnings. When I read them they sound bad, like issues which need to be fixed. I really don't have the technical skills to know what issues should be investigated, and what I can ignore.

Can anyone share if these issues should be a concern? The below is for the XF site. I do know that overall the site loads fast, and you have done a great job optimizing the software. In order for me to ensure my site is optimized, I need to understand what I can disregard. Alternatively, if someone knows of a better site for this information, that information would be helpful as well.

Report for www.xenforo.com/community/forums
Analysis and Recommendations

  • TOTAL_HTML - Congratulations, the total number of HTML files on this page (including the main HTML file) is 1 which most browsers can multithread. Minimizing HTTP requests is key for web site optimization. Y
  • TOTAL_OBJECTS - Warning! The total number of objects on this page is 38 which by their number will dominate web page delay. Consider reducing this to a more reasonable number. Above 20 objects per page the overhead from dealing with the actual objects (description time and wait time) accounts for more than 80% of whole page latency. See Figure II-3: Relative distribution of latency components showing that object overhead dominates web page latency in Website Optimization Secrets for more details on how object overhead dominates web page latency. Combine, refine, and optimize your external objects. Replace graphic rollovers with CSS rollovers to speed display and minimize HTTP requests. Consider using CSS sprites to help consolidate decorative images. Using CSS techniques such as colored backgrounds, borders, or spacing instead of graphic techniques can reduce HTTP requests. Replace graphic text headers with CSS text headers to further reduce HTTP requests. Finally, consider optimizing parallel downloads by using different hostnames or a CDN to reduce object overhead.
  • TOTAL_IMAGES - Warning! The total number of images on this page is 31 , consider reducing this to a more reasonable number. Recommend combining, replacing, and optimizing your graphics. Replace graphic rollover menus with CSS rollover menus to speed display and minimize HTTP requests. Consider using CSS sprites to help consolidate decorative images. Use CSS techniques such as colored backgrounds, borders, or spacing instead of graphic techniques to reduce HTTP requests. Replace graphic text headers with CSS text headers to further reduce HTTP requests. Finally, consider optimizing parallel downloads by using different hostnames to reduce object overhead.
  • TOTAL_CSS - Congratulations, the total number of external CSS files on this page is 2 . Because external CSS files must be in the HEAD of your HTML document, they must load first before any BODY content displays. Although they are cached, CSS files slow down the initial display of your page. Remember to place CSS files in the HEAD and JavaScript files at the end of the BODY to enable progressive display.
  • TOTAL_SIZE - Caution. The total size of this page is 181621 bytes, which will load in over 20 seconds on a 56Kbps modem - or 43.80 seconds on a 56Kbps modem. Consider reducing total page size to less than 100K to achieve sub 20 second response times on 56K connections. Be sure to provide feedback for pages over 100K by layering your design to display useful content within the first two seconds. Consider optimizing your site with Website Optimization Secrets, Speed Up Your Site or contacting us about our optimization services.
  • TOTAL_SCRIPT - Caution. The total number of external script files on this page is 4 , consider reducing this to one or two. Combine, refactor, and minify to optimize your JavaScript files. Ideally you should have one (or even embed scripts for high-traffic pages) on your pages. Consider suturing JavaScript files together at the server to minimize HTTP requests. Placing external JavaScript files at the bottom of your BODY, and CSS files in the HEAD enables progressive display in XHTML web pages.
  • HTML_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of this HTML file is 12837 bytes, which less than 50K. Assuming that you specify the HEIGHT and WIDTH of your images, this size allows your HTML to display content in under 10 seconds, the average time users are willing to wait for a page to display without feedback.
  • IMAGES_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of all your images is 32600 bytes, which is less than 50K. Even with a 50K HTML page this page should load in less than 20 seconds on a 56Kbps connection. Ideally each image should be less than 1160 bytes, to easily fit into one TCP-IP packet.
  • SCRIPT_SIZE - Warning! The total size of external your scripts is 112310 bytes, which is over 20K. Consider optimizing your JavaScript for size, combining them, and using HTTP compression where appropriate for any scripts placed in the HEAD of your documents. You can substitute CSS menus for JavaScript-based menus to minimize or even eliminate the use of JavaScript.
  • CSS_SIZE - Warning! The total size of your external CSS is 23874 bytes, which is over 20K. Consider optimizing your CSS for size by eliminating whitespace, using shorthand notation, and combining multiple CSS files where appropriate. By using labeled container cells and descendant selectors you can target chunks of HTML content efficiently without the need to embed extra claases and styles.
  • MULTIM_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of all your external multimedia files is 0 bytes, which is less than 10K.
 
I would take anything those so called optimisation sites say with a pinch of salt.
Fistful of salt*

Getting the recommended values from their recommendations would be near impossible with a modern site. Even minimized, jQuery can never be 20KB, and the CSS wouldn't be able to be minified to 20KB with as many declarations (Honestly, I haven't seen a finished site use 20KB CSS in a longggggg time).
 
Apart from minifying, which I think Kier said they plan to do at some point, I doubt there's much more you can do that hasn't already been done by Mike or Kier.

The text above referring to 56Kbps modems says it all really.
 
Although, having said that, if you were really serious, you could take all the separate CSS files and combine them into one, removing any superseded cascade elements, reducing the number of overall lines, etc.

But really that's going to make very little difference taken as a whole.
 
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