Are you looking for a super fast Joomla template? How about a fast loading and responsive Joomla template? Or do you need a high speed solution to slow loading pages?
The problem…
Joomla can be slow
Here’s why:
- lots of CSS files
- lots of javascript files
- unminified CSS, Javascript, HTML
- lots of images and icons
- Google fonts
- lots of http requests
- lots of components
And if you add Google analytics, Adsense, or Youtube videos they will also slow your site down. Although I share something later in the template that will speed up your Youtube video loads.
Out of the box Joomla is usually not optimized and it is often slow. This can depend upon the template, but there are often lots of CSS and JS files.
So I created my own template over the years that is extremely simple and fast.
Should a website be fast?
People prefer fast websites and since people prefer fast websites so does Google. It’s likely that the faster your website is the better you will rank in Google.
I don’t know about you…
But if I go to a website and it locks up my page because it’s loading a bunch of ads and other stuff I hit the back button.
And…
I silently wish to myself that their bounce rate goes up and Google demotes them.
If you want a lot of bells and whistles then you will pay
If you want a flashy website then it’s going to slow you down. Some things may look cool, but just add to the overall weight of the page.
The flashy stuff may look cool, but it doesn’t make up for something that is missing in your content.
The bells and whistles should be in your content. If you try to make subpar content look better by adding cool effects and what not then you will slow your site down.
Think Wikipedia or Craigslist.
Are these flashy websites? No. Are they popular websites? Yes. Why? Because they help people.
A flashy website isn’t go to make you any more popular.
Enter my speedy template that will get a 100% on most page speed tests
Javascript and CSS files will slow down a page. So how many CSS files does my template use?
Zero.
How many JS files does my template use?
Zero.
I eliminated them both.
What?!
Yes, it’s possible. Out of the box Joomla open source software is for everyone. It’s versatile and you can build a massive site with all kinds of different functions.
But what if you just want a simple site that’s fast and responsive in mobile view?
I didn’t need that much. I just wanted a fast simple site for my content which was mostly a blog and videos.
Is this template for everyone?
Absolutely not.
It’s for the minimalist. If you want a simple (minimal), fast loading Joomla template that’s responsive then this is it. If you want something fancy then this is not for you.
How can a site work without a CSS file?
As per Google’s recommendation for small css files I inlined the css. This template uses very little CSS.
How can a site work without Javascript?
Javascript is often used for Joomla components, so if you don’t need any components then you probably don’t actually need to be loading Javascript files.
By default Joomla is going to load a bunch of files. But they can be removed.
If you decide that you want to load these files or need them for a component you can add them, but remember that comes with a cost. They will make your site slower which may decrease your ranking.
How does this template do on speed tests?
You can check out this minimal and super fast Joomla template here. The following are some checks for Google’s Pagespeed. My template gets 100% on all of these.
The template will score 100% on speed checks, however if there is an image on the page that will slow it down a bit.
- Reduce server response time
- Leverage browser caching
- Avoid landing page redirects
- Eliminate render-blocking JavaScript and CSS in above-the-fold content
- Enable compression
- Minify CSS
- Minify HTML
- Minify JavaScript
- Optimize images
- Prioritize visible content
How does it compare to other “fast” Joomla sites?
There are a few sites out there that say they are fast. And some of them may be compared to others, but the ones I have tested are still not that fast.
Test out the high speed Joomla template here.
Bonuses included in the template:
- How to load Youtube videos faster on your own site
- Joomla SEO tips