In the 90s, web pages used to load all their content simultaneously, often resulting in pages taking minutes to fully load. These extended load times almost seem unbelievable, especially given our current expectations of nearly instantaneous loading times. Loading everything at once is sometimes not the best idea for your website or app. It heavily relies on the user’s internet connection, and your user might only be interested in very specific information on the page, rather than all of the content. This is where the concept of Lazy Loading comes into play.
In a study by Nielsen Norman group it was found that 1 second is about the limit for a user’s flow of thought to stay uninterrupted. Users have come to anticipate immediate access to information the moment they launch your app. So, for apps that contain a substantial amount of content but still want to retain their users’ attention, it’s important to implement lazy Loading – only displaying content when necessary for the users. Lazy Loading is a common practice that you’ve likely already encountered on other websites or apps, especially on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Here are some other benefits of Lazy Loading:
- A fast website or app truly enhances a user’s overall experience. If things are loading slowly, users may sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with their own device or internet connection. Lazy Loading practices also help ensure that the device doesn’t deplete its battery too rapidly due while your app or site is running the background.
- Quicker page loading holds critical importance for SEO, as search engines frequently penalize slow-loading websites. Maximizing your site’s loading speed and optimizing the content you present to the user will aid in the organic growth of your website through improved visibility on search engines.
- Through Lazy Loading content, the website or app will exclusively present only what the user is required to see. The browser doesn’t have to use bandwidth by downloading assets that the user might not have any intention of viewing while using your website or app.Large images and file sizes can significantly influence bandwidth. Optimizing this content will prove beneficial for both the user and yourself. This is because delivering large files to users can also amplify the bandwidth consumption on your own servers.
Numerous Content Management Systems employ various approaches to Lazy Loading. It’s important to identify one that aligns well with your website or app. For example, e-commerce sites want to keep images consistently visible on the page as users look through your products. However, Lazy Loading also generates a substantial number of server calls, which can accumulate over extended user sessions. Although these are just a few drawbacks and aspects to contemplate regarding Lazy Loading, the benefits far outweigh the potential drawbacks.