Latency is the time taken for a signal (in bit form), or even a given data packet, to be sent from the original machine to the destination.

However, we agree that this language is too technical. So, to simplify, latency is the delay of information when leaving a server for a device (or vice versa) .

For example, let's say a user wants to open Hosting Sites, our blog they're reading right now.

To access the site, you need to type the address in your browser or find the page on Google. As soon as a command is given to the browser to load the page, the browser asks the server to access it. This takes a while. The server responds to the browser and delivers the page. But this communication also takes time.

All this delay is called latency . After all, when accessing a server (usually from the United States) through a computer in Pak, it is natural for this delay to exist, precisely because of the distance from the access points.

Another way to understand latency is to think of it as the level of traffic on a highway: Imagine that the information you want is cars. Logically, the longer the highway (distance between one access point and another), the longer the cars (the requested data) will take to reach the destination. Therefore, the higher the latency.

How latency works on a website server

A website's hosting server is a file center that can be accessed by browsers. This is easy to understand.

Latency, in this case, is the delay that requests and files suffer due to the distance from the browser/server points . This distance, following the analogy we used, would be specifically the size of the highway.

Therefore, servers in PAk tend to have less latency than servers abroad, since the access point is closer.

Does this mean that people from different states will have different latencies to access the same content? In general yes, although there are cases and cases.

Step by step to decrease latency on your website

Basically, when it comes to total latency (not the one between the server and the access point, but the complete load delay), the best way to reduce it is to optimize the page so that it loads much faster.

This can be done from simple practices already known that can boost (and a lot) the loading of the contents of your site . We will explain each of them below:

Step 1: Install a caching plugin

A caching plugin is an extension for WordPress with the aim of performing optimizations so that the site loads at the fastest possible speed . It does this by downloading the most requested scripts and resources to the users' browser, in order to reduce the request time for each one of them.

Another common optimization in caching plugins is the unification of style files (css) and scripts (js). Thus, instead of several requests, only one is made, with the entire conglomeration of files necessary for the website to function.

One of the best caching plugins is W3 Total Cache . It offers robust options to speed up the loading of your pages in an amazing way.

Step 2: Optimize your images

The high number of images and their weight directly influences the loading of the site and the delay it has in relation to the user's request . Therefore, it is necessary to install a plugin that compresses the images without affecting their quality. The best known is WP Smush .

This plugin, in addition to optimized image compression, has the Lazy Load feature, which is when it blocks the loading of figures and only allows them when they are in the user's view.

In this way, instead of downloading all the images at once, increasing the latency for the other elements of the website page, deliberate latency is generated, but which will not negatively affect the user experience.

Step 3: Enable Gzip/Deflate on the website server

Gzip and Deflate are a native server compression that allows, through well-defined algorithms, to compress pages in order to facilitate their loading. Some hosting, especially those focused on WordPress , already have this feature enabled by default.

It is an efficient method, as it manages to reduce 70% to 90% of the text files that make up a web page. In conjunction with the cache plugin and the image compressor, the speed gain tends to be high.

To enable Gzip, simply go to the WordPress side menu → W3 Total Cache → Browser Caching → Enable HTTP (Gzip) Compression

Step 4: Use web hosting with servers in USA

Although already mentioned in this article, it is essential to reinforce how much having servers in USA cooperates so that latency is as low as possible . Because, by reducing the distance between the server and its access points, the files tend to travel at a much higher speed.

If you don't want to change your hosting, there is another solution that cooperates to reduce latency, even without having national servers. We'll talk about that below.

Step 5: Use a CDN service

CDN (content delivery network) is a content delivery network . It basically spreads its content through servers around the world, identifying the origin of the user's request and delivering the files that are closest to him.