How to Calculate Page Load

Use a Web-based service to determine the speed at which browsers load a specific page.

Many different types of elements are loaded each time you view a Web page in a browser. In addition to the page itself, the browser must also download images, style sheet files, scripts and embedded content such as videos or Flash files. Although page load speed depends on a wide range of factors, including the quality of the user's connection and the amount of traffic being delivered by the host server, you can still obtain a general idea of a page's quickness by using one of three free, Web-based reviewing tools.

Instructions

Pingdom's Full Page Test

1. Open a Web browser window and navigate to the "Full Page Test" section of the Pingdom website (see "Resources").

2. Type the address of your page in the "Enter a URL" field. Include the "http://" prefix.

3. Click the adjacent "Test Now" button, then wait for the test to complete. Depending on the complexity of your page, this process generally takes between five and 30 seconds.

4. Look at the "Website Information" section near the bottom of the page. The estimated page load speed is listed adjacent to the "Total Loading Time" label.

Website Optimization's Web Page Analyzer

1. Open a Web browser window and navigate to the "Web Page Analyzer" section of the Web Site Optimization website (see "Resources").

2. Type the address of your page in the "Enter URL to Diagnose" field. Include the "http://" prefix.

3. Click the adjacent "Submit" button.

4. Review the random letters and numbers of the automated image that appears on the resulting page, enter the letters and numbers in the adjacent text box and then click "Continue." This confirms that a human, not an automated system, is submitting the request.

5. Look at the "Download Times" section near the bottom of the page. The estimated page load speeds for six different connection types are listed in the "Download Time" column.

Web Page Test

1. Open a Web browser window and navigate to the Web Page Test website (see "Resources").

2. Type the address of your page in the "Enter a Website URL" field, including the "http://" prefix. Also select your preferred test location and Web browser from the corresponding dropdown menus. If you want to define additional settings, such as the connection speed, click "Advanced Settings" and make your selections from the resulting list of options.

3. Click the "Start Test" button on the right side of the page, then wait for the test to complete. Depending on the complexity of your page and the popularity of the service, this process generally takes between one and five minutes.

4. Look at the "First View" row in the "Load Time" column near the top of the page to view the estimated page load speed.

References

• Yahoo! Developer Network: Best Practices for Speeding Up Your Web Site
• Google Webmaster Central: Using Site Speed in Web Search Ranking

Resources

• Pingdom Tools: Full Page Test
• Website Optimization: Web Page Analyzer
• Web Page Test: Home