Loading a webpage is a very complex operation. It is hard to comprehend how many requests have to be made to load a complex page. That is why even if you have a super fast connection you might find that some pages load slow. In some cases the circle might just keep spinning and spinning even though the page appears to be fully loaded.
Today’s WebPages are way more complex then pages of generations past. Many pages are media rich and also have numerous ads to help support all that free information you are viewing. It is a good idea to browse a few of those ads while you are visiting the page since that is how many of the sites that you view and love are funded. This helps keep your information free.
Those same ads that are a necessary part of the websites continued operation could sometimes slow down the loading of the page. If the ad server that the page is trying to connect to is slow or down, it will cause the rest of the page to load slowly or only partially. That is why after a page appears to be fully loaded you might see the circle still turning trying to download the ads.
We get countless calls from customers who are trying to access a particular webpage and all their other pages are loading normally. There is little that can be done when a particular hosting company is slow or down while pages are being loaded. It should be noted that loading a single webpage could create as many as 300 requests or more to load the page. There are numerous gateways and hosts that the request must pass through before you see the magic on your screen. With all this work and the distance that the page information must travel it is almost a miracle that you see the results at all.
In addition to the above, sometimes ISP providers have problems with their DNS servers. If a DNS server for your local ISP is down or compromised, you are not going to do much in the way of surfing. That is why it is a good idea to use third party DNS servers like the popular Open DNS. The easiest way to change your DNS server is to do it within your router. The numbers for Open DNS are 208.67.222.22 for the Primary and 208.67.220.220 for the alternate. If your ISP should have a hiccup and go down for a time, in most cases you will sail along with no issues.
There are, of course, issues that can cause slow webpage loading that are not referenced above. One of those issues is Malware. Malware can cause extensive frustration when trying to navigate the web. Usually if this is the cause the problems will be widespread and not just on a couple of websites. In addition you will likely experience other symptoms such as pop ups or fake programs. Using Open DNS can actually help to protect you from some of these infections by blocking known phishing sites.
Pages such as Facebook use a method called Infinite Scroll where the page actually loads as you scroll. Pages such as this might appear to be constantly loading because in essence they are. Once you have scrolled down and then scroll back up, you might notice that the page appears to load faster. That is because the page has been loaded into your Internet Cache and that makes the pages appear to load much faster.
The next time you have issues loading a webpage, be sure to investigate the reasons and it is possible that it is just a temporary glitch with one of the hops. If the problem persists and you cannot find a solution, call a professional technician to rule out a virus or other Malware infection.
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