Your users are no longer waiting for their dial-up modem to connect them to the internet, so what’s taking your app so long to load? If you’re not keeping up with the fast-paced cyber technology of today, you’re falling behind.
App loading time is one of the biggest indicators of an app’s success. Even a second delay can put you behind the competition, and that means money lost in revenue. In fact, nearly one in five consumers expect mobile pages to load instantly. Expectations for mobile and web apps is similarly demanding.
How can you keep up with the demand? Unfortunately, there’s still no secret formula for aap success. However, you can count on your users expecting your application to run smoothly and quickly. One of the biggest challenges for developers is overcoming slow load speeds. In this guide, we’ll break down the best effective ways to optimize and reduce app load time.
1. Update Your Software and Framework
Are you running an outdated version of your framework or software? These programs and frameworks are updated frequently, and it might seem like a pain to update, but you’re actually holding yourself back.
When you fail to update these things, you not only slow down your applications, but you also leave your program vulnerable to attack. With 43% of cyber attacks targeting small businesses, you definitely don’t want to find yourself becoming another statistic.
Another benefit is that new, updated software comes with advanced features and enhancements. As a developer, you want to have the latest-and-greatest tools at your disposal. These might just be an update away.
2. Compress Your Data
Too much of a good thing is usually a bad thing, and that’s exactly the case when it comes to your app’s data. One of the easiest ways to compress your data is by optimizing your image size. This is one of the simplest tasks, but it makes a huge difference.
Optimize your visuals for the bandwidth of the app to keep your users happy. Most images can be reduced to around 1280px, and you can also clear any libraries that are currently going unused.
3. Cache Your Content
Another simple way to reduce your load time is by caching your content. When you cache, you bring the content the user wants physically close to them by storing data in the browser. Even if the user hasn’t accessed your app recently, the content is served on a server closer to the user.
Caching is something that can be done in just a few clicks, and it has one of the largest payoffs in terms of app engagement. If your data has to make a trans-continental transfer every time the user accesses your app, you’re not being effective with your data.
4. Optimize Your SSL
SSL, as well as TLS protocols, are necessary to ensure your app is secure and to get a better ranking in search engines. Yet, both of these things are known to slow down your app performance and speed. If you optimize them, you can keep your app functioning highly without compromising your online security.
Many app developers know that having these protocols are important, but they fail to optimize them. The easiest way to speed up your SSL and TLS is with an HTTP/2. With this, you know that the browser your app is operating on only needs a single connection per session, reducing the amount of time it takes to operate successfully. Another option is to use OpenSSL which can accomplish similar speeds.
5. Monitor Your Apps Performance
Finally, the most effective way to boost your apps speed is to simply monitor its performance. It’s absolutely necessary for you to keep a close eye on your application in real-time to make sure everything is working perfectly from start to finish.
The best way to do that is with an Application Monitoring System (AMS) that can provide alerts and real-time data without the hassle. When you have a finger on the pulse of your app, you can find issues quickly, solve problems, and prevent future occurrences.
Without an AMS system, finding problems can feel like finding a needle in the haystack. With an AMS system, it’s just a matter of following the breadcrumbs to the incident. You’ll be up and running in no time. For more information, review this definition of how to find hidden errors in a code.
Final Thoughts
Developing an app is just the first part of the equation. From there, you need to provide the right ongoing support to ensure your app runs smoothly for every user. Part of that equation is knowing how to speed up your app so it can meet users’ increased expectations.
The online world moves faster than ever. Can your application keep up? You need to focus on speed if you want to provide a high-level user experience that boosts engagement and keeps the right users coming back again and again.
