To Bloat or Not to Bloat

It's clear that web pages, on average, are growing in size. So says a recent report on websiteoptimization.com. Larger web pages take longer to load, and the slower the connection, the longer the load time. Some might be quick to point out another report that says broadband penetration among active internet users has grown to almost 90%. Taken alone, this might be construed as a green light for the ongoing growth of page size. The same report, however, also says that broadband reaches about 57% of all U.S. households. One might surmise that the majority of these households fall into lower income brackets. But rural households often have little or no access to a high-speed service, and Texas Hill Country dwellers, for example, know that rural often does not mean lower income.

Consider your intended audience and the possible consequences of a user experience characterized by slow-loading pages before you plunge into a major web marketing investment.