Danish Top Websites poorly optimized for speed

Google have now included load-time in the ranking algorithm, and this has created a new focus on website performance and page load-times.

This new focus is quite ironic, as all websites should be optimized as a service to the customers and users – and not just to please Google and to improve rankings in Google.

State of the top Danish websites

How well are the websites performing in Denmark … are they optimized, are the load-times acceptable? To find out we have done a small test of 11 of the largest websites in Denmark. The websites are selected from FDIM’s (Association of Danish Internet Media) list over Danish Media Sites. See the list at www.fdim.dk.

The test using Yahoo YSlow and Google Page Speed

We have tried to make the test fair and square, and to eliminate bias due to browser cache and other factors that could influence the findings.

All 11 sites have been measured 5 times each with Yslow and Google Page Speed, and the first measurement is done after the site have been loaded twice in a clean Firefox browser.

We look at 3 parameters:

• YSlow – sec, load time in seconds
• YSlow score – overall performance score
• Page Speed Score

The YSlow – sec is the real deal i.e. how long time does the user have to wait, before the page is loaded. The YSlow score and the Page Speed Score is an evaluation of the page optimization. A score close to 100 indicates the page/site is highly optimized, and a score below 60 is equivalent to a quite a poor optimization of the Page.

Overall test-results

The test shows an average YSlow Score of 61.8, equivalent to a grade D. Five out of eleven sites had an YSlow Score below 60, indicating a very poor optimization. The average Page Speed Score is a little better at 74,49, thus indication a more acceptable performance, but still not very impressive.

Out of eleven sites three websites looks quite well optimized, another 3 sites are average, and then we have 5 sites that looks very poorly optimized – judged on YSlow Scores.

The average load-time was acceptable 3.62 sec, but the variation was quite big on some of the poor rating (YScore) and very heavy sites.

Optimization of Danish top sites is poor

The result of the test is very poor, as almost 50% of the sites fails the YSlow test and get a grade below D. The sites in the test are the leading Danish news sites, and some of the largest portals in Denmark, and the poor result thus call for some concern about the general state of the Danish websites.

To be continued!