Website Loads REALLY Slow

My shopping cart WORKS but it loads REALLY really slowly. Is there anything I can do to fix that?

It's at http://eatstayplay.com/shop/

I'm running the current version of Zen Cart.

Thanks a million!

To start with, you really need to optimize your images. The product image for the Free Flagstaff Summer Guide is >2Mb !!

Try the Image Handler 2 mod, or just create new images of the proper file size in your imaging software - less than 10Kb is the goal.

I think doing that will solve most, if not all, of your problem.

Thanks! Where can I find that image handler mod?

EatStayPlay:

Thanks! Where can I find that image handler mod?

FREE SOFTWARE ADD ONS link is on the top left side on every page.

My shopping cart WORKS but it loads REALLY really slowly. Is there anything I can do to fix that?
Yes, get away from GoDaddy

Search for them here and make your own informed decision

Thanks for the info about the link; I'll look into it. I also made the images smaller and it helped a LOT, thank you.

As for GoDaddy, I really have no problems. MUCH better than my prior host who took down my entire website with no warning, no explanation, and accused me of crashing their system. (I wasn't)

Images are much better, but the site still seems sluggish to me. Try switching Admin - Configuration - Logging - Display The Page Parse Time to 'True' and let's take a look at the parse times.

Okay, I have the parse times turned on. What should I be looking for?

And my local internet can be VERY slow so I'm never sure if it's on my end or actually a slow functioning cart...

Parse Time: 10.335 - Number of Queries: 206 - Query Time: 0.13801564434814

The parse time is slow, and, IMO, a function of your host. Others should be along to advise further.

I really have no problems. MUCH better than my prior host
I would say that a Parse Time of 10.335 sec's is a huge problem

Parse Time: 11.910 - Number of Queries: 225 - Query Time: 0.22143931401062

Would have left long before site eventually loaded, had not been testing for you.
:wink:

Go into your Zen Cart admin. Find the version link on the right hand site of the navigation bar and click that.

On the page that loads find the line starting Server Up Time (top left). What are the three load averages at the end of that line?

Parse Time: 11.861 - Number of Queries: 225 - Query Time: 0.19363729258728

There is a big discrepancy between the time it takes to run the db queries and the time it takes to load the page. The answer is quite simple really - your host is known for slow response times. The only way a bucket shop hosting company can offer large amounts of bandwidth and web space for small amounts of money is to pack every server to the gills with websites - and the servers themselves often use cheap components.

Vger

Web site load is sluggish at times when loading category pages? Images used are all 72dpi 200px X 200px

Parse times are as follow, with different categories:
Parse Time: 3.384 - Number of Queries: 1029 - Query Time: 1.9925597458038
Parse Time: 2.154 - Number of Queries: 955 - Query Time: 1.3949074997864
Parse Time: 1.665 - Number of Queries: 1027 - Query Time: 1.1232828417511
Parse Time: 2.378 - Number of Queries: 950 - Query Time: 1.801983036026
Parse Time: 2.300 - Number of Queries: 955 - Query Time: 1.86694726297

And under server information
Server Up Time: 15:58:09 up 1 day, 4:42, 1 user, load average: 56.22, 54.20, 55.93

What can I do to improve the speed?

Kevin205:

load average: 56.22, 54.20, 55.93
Move to a new host or have them move you to a faster or less crowded server

Would Simple Cache take of this problem?

Kevin205:

load average: 56.22, 54.20, 55.93I can't see any cache improving this to any extent.
Time to move, one way or the other.

It turned out I had set the Cache Method to None. I changed it to file. It started to working a lot faster.

define('SQL_CACHE_METHOD', 'none');

Now first time the product listing page loads up, it is slow, but it is much faster on the page reload.

Couple of questions is the **database **method better or file?

How do I reset the load average: in admin's Server Information section? Thank you.

Kevin205:

It turned out I had set the Cache Method to None. I changed it to file. It started to working a lot faster.

Now first time the product listing page loads up, it is slow, but it is much faster on the page reload.

Couple of questions is the **database **method better or file?

How do I reset the load average: in admin's Server Information section? Thank you.

You don't "reset" anything
These are the averages over one, five, and fifteen minutes.
After 15 minutes they have all been "reset"

http://blog.scoutapp.com/articles/2009/07/31/understanding-load-averages

How do I reset the load average: in admin's Server Information section?
This is not resettable as it is polled from the servers "load"