What is an acceptable speed?

Just how long users are prepared to wait for a page to download onto their screens is not an easy question to answer. What is "acceptable" will vary from person to person and for each of us may vary on any given day. Some of the variable factors include:

• the reason for accessing the site (eg entertainment, information, education)
• the user's mood at the time
• prior experience with the Internet and therefore expectations
• the environment in which it is accessed (eg an Internet kiosk at an airport)
• the importance of getting the information at that very moment
• whether the user is paying to access the website at that time.  

This range of factors makes for difficulties in determining what is an acceptable speed. For one person, a fifteen second wait may seem like an eternity, yet be quite acceptable to another.  

No matter what a user's expectations might be, or how hard a website owner strives to provide a fast website, some technical factors that are out of their control will affect the speed of the website:

• the speed of the user's computer and what else they are using it for
• their connection speed - dial-up modem or broadband cable
• their location and quality of line into the house or office
• the capacity of the ISP through which they connect to the Internet

What to do

Your ISP provides your connection to the Internet and may also provide website hosting services. Enquire with them as to their hosting charges and the terms and conditions.

There are specialist web hosting services in Australia. You do not have to have your website hosted in your city or town so look Australia-wide for the best soltuion for your needs.

These organisations can help you make decisions about the optimum speed for your website, the degree of security required, and the level of service - eg backup and what period of downtime is acceptable, if any. If the choice of optimum speed, security or service level results in a server and hosting solution that is too expensive for your budget, then you may need to revise your expectations. The server and hosting solution you can afford will also dictate, to some extent, the design of the site and the functional elements you can employ in it.

The Australian Communications Authority provides excellent information on this topic and many issues related to ISPs. Their toolkit includes a list of ISPs, questions to ask ISPs and information that will help you make the right decision about connectivity for your organisation. Access it at: http://www.toolkit.aca.gov.au/internet/index.htm 

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