How to Calculate Web Page Size

Web page sizes influence everything from display speed to search engine rankings.

Web page size is an important aspect of modern Web design. Pages that take too long to download and display receive less traffic than pages optimized for viewing and speed. While to most users Web page download times appear instantaneous, the full Web page size determines many aspects of the site's functionality. Image and media-heavy sites must be properly coded in order to remain within a certain size profile. Increasingly mobile-based Internet traffic causes many pages to display slowly on mobile devices because of their large size. Understanding Web page sizes helps Web designers and developers build standards-based yet, feature-rich sites.

Instructions

1. Open your Web browser of choice and navigate to "Web Page Analyzer" (See Resources).

2. Locate the "Enter URL to Diagnose" text box. Enter the uniform resource locator for the Web page whose size you wish to measure and click "Submit."

3. Confirm that you are human by providing the "Capcha" code provided on the subsequent page. Enter the letter and number combination exactly as it appears on-screen including character case. Click "Continue" to submit.

4. Locate the Web page size under the "Global Statistics" and "Total Size" headings. This form also breaks down individual Web file sizes and offers approximations for download times using a 56 kilobits modem or T1 connection.

Tips & Warnings

• Many modern browsers have "Developer Tools," which allow you to calculate Web page size and download times without using third-party sites.

References

• IBM; Rapid Web Development; James Lewin; September 2001
• Smashing Magazine; How to Build a Mobile Website; Jon Raasch; November 2010
• Smashing Magazine; 7 Principles of Clean and Optimized CSS Code; Tony White; August 2008

Resources

• Web Page Analyzer: Homepage