What Is HTML Optimization?

Often overlooked, HTML optimization is key for fast page display. HTML optimization is the process of minimizing HTML file size and complexity to maximize page display speed. ^[1] The typical web page contains extra information that browsers don't need to render your page. Look inside most pages on the web and you'll find whitespace, comments, and redundant attributes that can all be safely removed with no change in appearance. Unwinding or eliminating complex tables can also help speed up page display.

^[1] Andrew King, "Extreme HTML Optimization" [online], (Darien, CT: Jupitermedia Corp., 2001 [cited 13 November 2002]), available from the Internet at http://www. webreference .com/authoring/languages/html/optimize/.

But HTML optimization doesn't stop there. Through techniques like CSS optimization, URL abbreviation, conditional code, minimization of HTTP requests , and other "shunting" techniques, you can dramatically reduce total HTML file size and complexity.

Why Optimize HTML?

Users hate to wait. As you learned in Chapter 1, "Response Time: Eight Seconds, Plus or Minus Two," users want fast-loading pages. After waiting 8 to 10 seconds (about 34K on 56Kbps modems), users become frustrated and bailout rates jump dramatically. Users also want reasonably uniform response times and linear feedback so that they can attune to the response rate of your site.

Reducing your total page footprint and HTTP-request load can also have a direct impact on your bandwidth costs, especially for busier sites.