Day 7

Subject: [firstname] A few more speedy site tweaks.

Hey [firstname]!

We've covered quite a lot over the past week or so, but there are a few other tweaks you can do to your website right now that I'd like to share with you today.

First off, make sure your pages are formatted with CSS at the top and javascript at the bottom.  This makes it easier for web browsers to process the information.  CSS tells the browser how to display the site, so putting this at the top means the browser doesn't have to wait for everything to load before it knows how to make the site look. Otherwise, users will face a blank screen until the page is loaded completely. This also prohibits progressive rendering, so browsers will block rendering to avoid having to redraw elements of the page.  This also helps you to make a standard web page according to W3 standards. You should put your javascript code at the bottom of the page for the same reason.

You should also check for any broken links. Broken links result in 404/410 errors, and these cause wasteful, time consuming requests. Pay special attention to images that you may be linking to from another site.  In fact, you should try and avoid linking from other domains altogether because of DNS lookups.  Some (like to a PayPal or JVZoo button) are unavoidable, but try to keep them to a minimum.

Finally, enable Gzip compression. Enabling compression is one of the fastest ways to improve your site’s performance. Gzipping helps to reduce response time – by up to 70% in some cases.

Wow! That's quite a lot, but in this short e-course I've only been able to scratch the surface of what's required to get a lickety-split website that will impress your visitors (regardless of what type of device they use to access your site) and stop them from clicking away.  I go into much more detail in my no-holes-barred, comprehensive guide to speeding up your website.  I've still got a few copies left but they're going fast.  Grab your copy from [link to sales page] RIGHT NOW.

To your success!

[Your Name]
