Boost your site performance: How fast websites drive traffic, conversions, and growth

Imagine you’re at the starting line of a race. If the runner takes too long to get off the mark, they’ll fall behind, losing valuable time. The same principle applies to websites—slow load times can cause your site to fall behind in search engine rankings and lose visitors.

Site speed, or website performance, refers to how quickly a browser can load a fully functional webpage. Just as a sprinter’s time to the finish line is crucial, the time it takes for your site to load impacts everything from traffic to conversions.

At Kontent.ai, we know that building fast websites that meet the needs of both users and search engines can be a real challenge. And today many organizations are turning to headless solutions for improved site performance. We’ve seen clear patterns in the success stories of companies like Greenstone Financial Services, Intralox, Cancer Council Australia, and INEOS Hygienics, who have used Kontent.ai to optimize their websites and reduce load times.

In this blog, we’ll dive into how these companies tackled their digital challenges and the results they’ve achieved. Whether you’re looking for proof of the impact a headless CMS can have or simply seeking inspiration for your next project, these examples will show you just how powerful the right digital platform can be.

How site performance influences traffic

Site performance plays a crucial role in driving visitor traffic and generating leads. A fast-loading website ensures a seamless user experience, which directly impacts how long visitors stay, how they interact with the content, and whether they convert into leads or customers. Slow load times frustrate users, often leading to high bounce rates and lost opportunities. In addition, search engines like Google prioritize fast websites in their rankings, making performance a critical factor in attracting organic traffic.

When Greenstone Financial Services were launching the OneChoice brand, they needed a high-performing website to introduce simple life insurance products to New Zealanders. Site performance is critical, as it directly influences traffic and the ability to attract online leads. The website had to be mobile-friendly and ready to grow as the business expands.

The new decoupled architecture allowed Greenstone to optimize performance while maintaining flexibility in their technology stack using the following techniques:

• Content is now delivered via a single API call, reducing server-side requests and minimizing page load times.
• Developers implemented techniques like image compression and file minification to ensure a lightweight website.

The result was a high-performing site with page load times 3 seconds faster than similar Greenstone websites. 

Why modern architecture is the foundation of exceptional site speed

To stay ahead, businesses need platforms that are fast, easy to use, and able to adapt to changing needs. A modern digital architecture makes it easier for companies to grow, manage their content, and reach a global audience.

Intralox exemplifies this transformation. The global leader in conveyor belt technologies faced significant challenges with their legacy CMS. Slow page load times, difficulty implementing updates, and limited flexibility to integrate with external systems impacted their ability to deliver modern, customer-focused digital experiences. As their website played an increasingly central role in connecting with customers, improving performance and scalability became critical.

To address these challenges, Intralox replatformed their website using Kontent.ai as a headless CMS paired with Gatsby to generate static web pages. This modern architecture delivered measurable improvements:

• Faster page loads: Static pages are served via their CDN, eliminating server delays.
• Improved SEO: Faster load times and the implementation of HTTPS boosted their search engine rankings.
• Seamless updates: By isolating components in a microservices architecture, changes can be made without impacting other parts of the site, reducing testing time and accelerating deployments.

The collaboration with Kontent.ai's Developer Relations team also ensured the multilingual plug-in for Gatsby supported their global audience, generating nine language variants per page. The result is a high-performing, future-proof platform that not only enhances user experience but also positions Intralox to expand their digital offerings and meet evolving business needs efficiently.

Why simplifying content management leads to faster-loading and better experiences

Bringing all your content together in one place is key to keeping things consistent. Using a single source of truth makes updates faster and helps teams work better together.

Cancer Council Australia, the country’s leading cancer control organization, faced challenges in managing its outdated content management system (CMS). Their system often caused delays, making even basic content updates cumbersome. To better serve patients and supporters, they needed a high-performing platform that would simplify updates, reduce maintenance burdens, and enable the creation of future websites and microsites.

Partnering with Luminary, Cancer Council Australia implemented a modern digital platform built on Kontent.ai. The CMS enables quick content updates and eliminates maintenance overhead, allowing the team to focus on delivering timely, accurate information. With Next.js for static site generation, the platform ensures faster page loads and supports the creation of scalable, highly performant websites.

Key benefits include:

• Significant cost savings: Hosting costs were reduced by 80%.
• Increased flexibility: Developers can easily create new microsites and extend site capabilities as needed.
• Improved efficiency: Updates can be made quickly without delays caused by legacy systems.

How lightweight and fast sites drive rapid growth

For businesses in fast-moving industries, having a high-performance digital platform is crucial to quickly launch sites and maintain top performance, even as their needs evolve.

INEOS Hygienics was launched in response to the global hand sanitizer shortage during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the lessons learned from that time remain highly relevant today. Facing the need for a fast, reliable digital presence, INEOS quickly partnered with The MTM Agency. Within 24 hours, The MTM Agency delivered an initial site to communicate INEOS’ charitable efforts, followed by a scalable platform that could support both public-facing e-commerce and global B2B needs in just two weeks.

Using Kontent.ai, MTM created a multilingual website and e-commerce platform integrated with key systems like Stripe and SAP. This solution empowered INEOS Hygienics to:

• Seamlessly manage all content from a single platform.
• Launch dedicated campaign landing pages quickly.
• Ensure SEO optimization and site performance, achieving a 99/100 Google PageSpeed score.

Kontent.ai’s capabilities supported INEOS Hygienics’ growth, enabling them to supply hospital-grade products via direct channels, major retailers like Amazon and Sainsbury’s, and their own site, which achieved double-digit sales growth month-over-month. Since then, INEOS Hygienics has continued to launch cool campaigns, like partnering with Lewis Hamilton to introduce a new range of hand washes aimed at keeping hands clean and protected.

Why site performance matters

Site performance is crucial for the success of any website. Fast load times do more than make your site easier to use—they can boost search rankings and bring in more traffic. On the flip side, a slow website frustrates visitors and makes it harder to connect with customers. By optimizing website speed, you ensure a seamless experience for users, leading to higher retention and better overall performance.

Talk to our experts today and discover how Kontent.ai can help you build a faster website that meets both user expectations and search engine requirements.