Lightning-fast page loading speed is crucial for the conversion of a successful online store. The longer the customer waits for the page to load the higher are the chances that he'll abandon your website.Below are 10 steps that can help you speed up your Magento website:Clean Database LogGiven that Magento saves logs for around 180 days, your database may grow unnecessarily large, which is why the first step in speeding up your Magento website must be cleaning your database log - it will take only 30 minutes, but the effects will be astonishing.Latest VersionMake sure that you are running the latest version of Magento. It will include all enhancements in speed and performance, as well as bug fixes.Content Delivery NetworkAmong the simplest, yet most effective ways of speeding up your Magento website is utilization of Content Delivery Network (CDN) that will allow your content to be delivered to customers from multiple locations.Use Magento CompilationMagento Compilation can boost the speed of your online store by up to 50%. In order to use this feature go to: "System" → "Tools" → "Compilation"Merge CSS and JavaScript FilesMerging all CSS and JavaScript into one file will reduce HTTP requests and correspondingly will increase the page loading speed.Enable Flat CatalogFlat Catalog is particularly useful for extensive catalogues with over 1000 items. It merges products and their categories in one convenient table, boosting speed by answering MySQL requests much quicker.Compress and Optimize ImagesCompression of images via Adobe Photoshop and specification of their dimensions allows simultaneous loading of page and images, which leads to considerable increase in website's loading speed.Limit ExtensionsThe amount of HTTP requests increases with the amount of extensions, which is why it is recommended to use only vital extensions and disable unessential ones.Use CachingCaching also helps to speed up your Magento online store. To get excellent results try combining NGINX + APC + Memcache + Varnish caching.Minimization of RedirectsReduction of redirects allows your website to load with the lightning speed.
