General web tips

A while ago I came across this small tip in an online conversation. It might not be a huge thing, but it can have an impact if you have a site with lots of traffic.

80% of the end-user response time on a website is spent on the front-end. Most of this time is tied up in downloading all the components in the page: Images, stylesheets, scripts, Flash, etc. Reducing the number of components in turn reduces the number of HTTP requests required to render the page. This is the key to faster pages.

One thing which can increase load-time in a website is the way redirects are handled.

Skype is always looking to create a better user experience for their users. The developers of this excellent communications platform have created a plugin for users to install into their browsers. The plugin creates buttons on phone numbers which makes it easy to call directly, using Skype.

I recently discovered that the Skype plugin actually remove the phone number entirely on some sites.