Managing Download Times

Cable modems and other broadband media are aiding the real estate world a ton. As bandwidth speeds get better visitors are able to view larger pages and not lose patients. However, we still ought to be cautions with the size of our web pages.

Typically, two factors make pages bulky and slow: images and Flash pieces.

Optimizing Images

There is a constant juggle between image size and quality. Designers should try and keep their pages as close to 100k or below as possible. The number of images used in a site shouldn't take a site over that threshold, typically. There are many software packages to balance image sizes while keeping quality high.

Managing Flash Pieces

If you want a bulky web site Flash is the way to get it there the fastest. When most designers begin using Adobe Flash to add flare to a site they start making movies and animations and adding music and sound and all sorts of things. It doesn't take long for the piece to be huge. The best application of Flash for a real estate agent web site should be simple slide shows or shows that fade from one image to the next. One benefit to using Flash is that most of your web page will usually download and the beginning of the Flash piece. The piece can begin to display while the remainder is still downloading.

Checking Your Pages

There are other factors involved in page download speeds. Go to http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/ and enter in your URL. You'll be able to see the overall page size and download times. Use the cautions at the bottom with discretion because they are not current with today's internet standards. If your pages are near 200k or larger consider trimming them down, especially your home page. Stay as close to 100k as possible. If you are under 100k and your site looks great then you are set.