Page Size: Website Design

Website Design: Page Size

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Keep page size small

Most media don't require designers to consider how many graphics to put on a page. But the Web does. Generally, the larger the file size of the graphics on a site's pages, the longer the pages take to load. Along with the limitations of Web typography, graphics file size is one of the most serious design restrictions on the Web.

Set an upper limit for each page

Set an upper limit in kilobytes for the "weight" of each page--that is, the sum of the kilobytes of all graphics on that page, including background patterns if you're using them. I cut off pages around 30- 40 kb.

If a page take a long time to load:

try dividing the large page into two pages
prepare the viewer before they link to the page
use less graphic since they are usually the largest object in the document.

Repeat graphic

Today's browsers cache graphics, which means they store image files on the hard drive so the browser doesn't need to load the same graphic more than once. It's a good idea to repeat the same graphic wherever possible on your site; doing so generally saves loading time for your visitors and eases the strain on your server. Toolbars, repeated graphics, and headers are commonly cached.

Contact Nancy Perrin, or John Rueter. PSU's FIPSE Project coordinated by Nancy Perrin and John Rueter, © 1998. Page constructed by Chris Miller. Last updated on June 23, 1998. For more see the About Page.