HTTP compression for my website

[obianuju]

we have recently had our website SEO analysed and we were told that our website did not use "HTTP compression" due to the slow loading time. how do we enable this "HTTP compression"

[navaldesign]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

Apache servers don't yet officially support HTTP compression and the existing indipendent compression modules are not reliable.

You could perform the compression on your own computer, but only if you were using a HTML editor. And then upload the files, images included. A real hell........

[Marincky]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

Follow these simple steps and your pages will increase in speed tenfold.

[obianuju]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

Thanks for responding. They said to add a certain code onto a .htaccess file:. what is this file and where can i locate it on my computer. Sorry but i just wanna make sure am doing things the right and not spend hours only to end up where i started. So i just wanna be certain. Sorry to sound lost. Actually i am lost.

[Marincky]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

To be honest, don't use that method, sorry I forgot to mention. The best and easiest way to do it is add the other code they give you to your page HTML by going into Page HTML properties and pasting it at the 'start' of page.

ONLY put the code on pages that need it. Putting it on pages that are already of an acceptable download speed could actually have the opposite effect.

Update:

add this code to start of page

<?php if (substr_count($_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT_ENCODING'], 'gzip')) ob_start("ob_gzhandler"); else ob_start(); ?>

[obianuju]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

Thank you so very much, i will try it now and get back to you.

[Marincky]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

Just to prove it works, do a speed page test first, add code, republish do test again. You'll be amazed!

[obianuju]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

I have done exactly as you said and i noticed a faster page loading time. This is my website www.recruitment-101.com could you please check to see if it loads okay from your browser and tell me what you think. What you think about the website in general? Any changes i need to make?Thank you ahead.

[Marincky]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

0.14 seconds

[obianuju]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

Is that fast enough? or slow?

[Marincky]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

That's fine : - )

[obianuju]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

Finally, before i leave you be, what do you think about the website? just need a professional and also from an outsider's point of view. I will really appreciate an honest opinion, even if it is one line, just to steer me in the right direction. What can i change or is it okay as is? Thanks ahead again.

[Marincky]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

One minute let me go look

[Marincky]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

Ok,

Firstky you're asking someone who HATES flash intros for these reasons.

They are pointless, put off many visitors, and search engines will basically read your entrance page to your site as a blank page.

You will get no favours at all from the search engines with this intro and I would strongly advise you making the page you named home as your proper home page (i.e. the FIRST thing visitors see.)

I kinda like your design but I feel you have put too much effort into it and by doing so you have created far too many shapes and images and backgrounds and borders and this is what's holding up the download speed of your internal pages.

Search engines AND visitors like plain and simple and to the point and I absolutely promise and guarantee you that if you simplify this website you will receive more visitors, longer visits to your site, more page impressions and a higher chance of making this site successful.

I can truly see you have put a LOT of thought and hard work into this site as I say, but I just believe by doing this you have 'overdone' it.

My main line of work is making information websites and I earn my living from being a very successful adsense publisher. To do this though I need as many visitors as possible and I need them to visit as many pages as possible and spend as much time on my sites as I can possibly manage.

I have discovered over the many years of doing this that by simplifying my websites I get far far better results. The search engines favour (uk spelling) them better that way too.

I would like to see your website banner more consistent too throughout the site. It varies and also jumps from page to page. This needs looking at.

You also need to research META data and get some page titles and page descriptions on every page that will work best for you too.

Sorry, I know it doesn't sound too good, but as I said earlier, I like the design and how you have laid it out, I can definitely see a lot of talent there... but maybe too much ; - )

[obianuju]

Re: HTTP compression for my website

Do not be sorry, i rather correct it now than wait till visitors are turned away by then they would have created an impression and first impressions are too hard to erase.

So i really need your advice. I will remove the flash page first of all. Then can you give a sketch of how to simplify this site. Just a rough idea and i will do the rest. Thank you so very much for your honesty.