Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

What is a Content Delivery Network (CDN)?

A CDN is a network of distributed servers used to help optimize and deliver content more efficiently and quickly to users. CDNs work by caching content from your origin server and distributing it accordingly across this network. Depending on a user’s location, the CDN will select a server closest to their location, providing users with benefits like quicker response times, load times, buffering time, less bandwidth, and more.

Tips on Using a CDN

While there are many CDN providers and options for organizations today, picking the right one for your business needs is essential. You must consider the size and scope of the CDN service provider’s network and if they are located and can serve the locations that match where your customers are located. Some may have a lot of locations, but only in specific geographic locations, which may or may not fit your needs.

CDNs: Additional Considerations

If the decision to utilize a CDN is new to you, you may want to consider the CDN server provider’s customer support options. You may find yourself needing to rely more on a dedicated team. However, if you have an internal team that is already knowledgeable in this space and can take on more of the management, consider different support options, which could bring down the total cost. And that brings us to the last consideration: price. Obviously, cost is a huge factor with anything, and you want to know that the resulting ROI on investing in a CDN will outpace the cost. CDN service providers will have multiple pricing options, such as contract pricing and usage-based pricing. Finding the right model based on your needs will help keep costs down.

lighthouse

Lighthouse

Lighthouse is an open-source tool that is used to run an audit against your web pages and provides scores and suggestions for improving page performance, accessibility, SEO, and more.

pagespeed

PageSpeed Terms

PageSpeed Insights is a tool created by Google that reports on the performance of a page on both mobile and desktop devices, and provides suggestions on how that page may be improved.

yslow

YSlow

YSlow is an open-source website analysis tool that can be used to identify web page performance issues. Learn more about the YSlow to enhance your web pages and the user experience.