There are many site performance websites on internet claiming to analyze and test your web site performance & speed! I checked a few of them and will list here the best one I like.

Since analyzing & testing a web site performance/speed is a broad area, let’s break it up in the following categories:

1. Website Hosting – Website Hosting
2. Website Load Time – Loading time of different content like text, javascript files, images etc.
3. Website Render Time – When the website starts rendering (displaying) in the browser after fully/partially loading the contents
4. Website Browser Caching – After the website has loaded once, the user’s browser should cache locally all static content like Javascript and CSS files and not request these again for any reload of website or webpage

Website Hosting

Now, first always make sure that you have the right kind of website hosting. Because if your website has good visitor traffic and your website is hosted on a shared hosting server, that alone is sufficient to nullify any efforts towards enhancing site performance.

We were hosted on GoDaddy earlier and moved to HostGator after frustrating experience with GoDaddy. Read about our experience here:

1. Why We Moved to HostGator from GoDaddy Website Hosting
2. Picture Tutorial – Moving to HostGator from GoDaddy Website Hosting

Website Loading, Rendering & Browser Caching

You can complete the website speed test (loading time) for your website with this online tool: Website Speed Test Tool. This is the best website analyzer I have seen that does a thorough check on your website or a specific webpage, testing it twice, once for first load then for repeat load.

It would also rank your website with different grades (A to F) in areas of Text Compression, Image Compression, Caching Static Content, Combining of Javascript and CSS sheet and use of a CDN (Content Delivery/Distribution Network). You can also download the entire site performance report for later use.

Once you have analyzed and tested your site performance and speed online, you can enhance your website with the following tips & tools:

1. Always enable browser caching on your website, it’s done through rules defined in the “.HTACCESS” file.If your website is based on WordPress, you can use W3 Total Cache: W3 Total Cache – Best WordPress Cache Plugin Ever.
2. Once your CSS and Javascript files are final, you can create minimized (compressed) and optimized version of your files here: Javascript Compressor, CSS Optimizer
3. Use a CDN (content distribution network) for static files – You can either create a sub-domain on your website and serve static files from there or you can use a professional service like Amazon AWS or MaxCDN
4. If you website is based on wordpress, you can find additional resources to optimize and enhance your website: 15+ Best Must Have WordPress Plugins for 2011
5. Once all above is complete, you should try to optimize your website for Search Engines as well: What is Search Engine Optimization? Does my Website Really Need it?

Wish you a Happy Analyzing & Testing of your Web Site Performance & Speed!