Reduce Server Response Times (TTFB)

Slow server response time results in delayed page load times. Fixing these delays will improve page speed immensely.

When a user visits a url in a browser, the browser makes a request to grab information. That site's server grabs the request and returns content. If the server takes a long time, it can harm user experience.

Your time to first byte (TTFB) is crucial, keeping it in the low 100 ms time frame (or close to it) is recommended. TTFB is the amount of time it takes for your server to return bytes following the first request. If response time starts nearing 500 ms, your site will not just turn off users, but make all performance struggle. TTFB times of 600 ms or more can sometimes fail altogether. Google's audit won't work beyond 600 ms.

How to improve server response time?

This begins by figuring the timing of the core elements of the page and how long they take to load. Begin by improving the longest times first and work your way down.

These tips from Google can help:

• Optimize server's application logic
• Optimize queries databases or move to faster database systems
• Upgrade server hardware to increase memory