It doesn't matter how well you write copy, the images you use, or how you capture leads if it takes forever to load your pages. The speed of your web server from the end-user last mile is more critical than anything else on your website.

When I'm not insulting the Web 2.0 people, I'm advising customers to design interactivity into their website at 56k. Think about it, even on dedicated high speed, the Internet can get slow.
Every day parts of the Internet go down, your visitors traffic is rerouted and slowed down. Many of your business customers are working off over subscribed lines, mobile devices, and even dial up. That's why designing for the lowest common denominator makes a difference.
Your site structural design and navigation is important too. What your visitor is seeking must be easy to find, you don't want them wandering around your site when they could be buying something.
I will admit, my sites are not at all pretty, but with the average page load under 2 seconds (at 56k) visitors aren't waiting on page elements. Visitors are staying longer and buying more.
Page size isn't the only thing that makes pages load quickly. Also look at design, page structure, content delivery, and HTML validation for reducing page load times. Are you building these checks into your site development?
If your visitor leave before they get your message, you've wasted their time and your own. Even worse, when your website is slow you have wasted every marketing dollar that got them to this point. Be prepared to invest in speed by keeping your website simple and focused on visitor needs.
© 2008 JWH Consolidated Inc, All rights reserved.

Justin Hitt turns the average business website into a profit generating machine with simple money saving strategies. Web design and management services at https://www.jwhco.com/