Response times of web sites are usually slow compared with that of desktop software. It's very helpful to minimize web site response times, to increase user satisfaction.

Some helpful techniques :

• minimize the number of graphics associated with the page
• if a graphic is necessary, consider ways of reducing its size in bytes
• consider serving zipped content (modern browsers are able to unzip pages on the fly)
• use the Firebug extension for Firefox to show file size and download time for each element in the page

Another simple technique is to just remove unnecessary white space in HTML :

• it is easy to implement
• it translates directly into reduced HTML download times
• it can produce significant savings in the size of an HTML file, typically in the range of 10-25% (sometimes more)

Most of the gains from removing white space are related to indentation, especially that occurring within loops. This indentation can be left in place during development, and then removed after testing is complete.

Web usability guidelines
Measure web app performance

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