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Speed Up The Web - Part I

Today is an age of broadband. More and more people are going this route determined to experience the web and it’s multitude of services as quick and painless as possible. Coupled with the move to broadband, more and more people are experiencing the web via their mobile devices, and it is this, that most developers/designers forget about. With mobile devices becoming more and more mainstream, it is more important than ever that we as designers, and developers imply the importance of optimized web sites to our clients. With this in mind, I would like to introduce some strategies I imply when developing a website, or web application.

  1. Optimize your images!
    1. Most clients now a days realize that most people are connecting to their site through a broadband connection, and want the flashiest, prettiest site they can get for their money. As such, create and utilize CSS sprites. (http://css-tricks.com/css-sprites/) This will significantly reduce the number of times their web browsers connect to the server to request resources.
    2. Compress your images as much as possible. PNG and JPG files are great for using the full color scheme available to computers, however, they contain a ton of extra information embedded in the files, that are simply not needed for displaying on the web. EXIF, and META information can be removed from the files to produce smaller file sizes resulting in a faster download for the browser. (http://www.sentex.net/~mwandel/jhead/ & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pngcrush)
  2. Optimize your Styling!
    1. Combine your CSS styles into one stylesheet. This will reduce the number of requests the browser has to make to the server, thus reducing load time.
    2. Compress your CSS stylesheets. Check to see that your web server supports GZip encoding. Also look into minifing the CSS, removing all the extra whitespace and un-needed characters are a great way to reduce the file size.
    3. Make sure not to use inline styling when developing your website. This is dirty and generally not a good way to design a site. It makes the HTML alot heavier.
    4. Make sure the CSS tag is placed first in your HTML files
  3. Optimize your HTML!
    1. I know it’s easy to design a website out of tables. It makes it really easy to place everything where you need it to be. However, it is dirty, old, outdated, and makes it a real pain in the @%^ for the real designers to work and modify the site. Utilize CSS, and DIVs to design your site, trust me you’ll be happier in the long run. Not only is this the w3c compliant way to do things, it will also make for smaller file sizes of your HTML resulting in a faster loading website. If you do “need” to use tables, make sure to save them for tabular data, and try not to nest tables.
    2. Save the styling for the CSS stylesheet. This will reduce the size of your HTML file, and is generally the way to do things.
    3. If you need to embed images directly into your web page, make sure to include the height and width attributes. This will allow the browser to not have to calculate the size of the image as it renders it.
    4. Minify your HTML. This will reduce the file size, making the site load faster.
    5. Defer loading javascript files. Place them right before your end body tag. This will allow the entire page to render before any script processing happens, making a faster experience for the end user.
    6. Concatenate your javascript files into one file. This will reduce the number of requests the browser has to make to the server, thus reducing load time.

Heed these words of wisdom and you will be on the correct path to becoming a great designer. Keep an eye out for more in this series, as we will be discussing the methods above in more depth in later posts. Till then, happy coding!

Our Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 18th, 2025

Introduction

Western Mass Hosting (“we,” “our,” or “us”) respects the privacy of all individuals and organizations that interact with our services. This Privacy Policy establishes our practices regarding the collection, use, disclosure, and protection of personal information for visitors to our website and clients utilizing our managed hosting and WordPress services. By accessing our website or engaging our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy in its entirety.

Scope and Applicability

This Privacy Policy governs our handling of information collected through our corporate website and in the course of providing managed hosting, WordPress maintenance, and development services. In accordance with global privacy regulations, we serve as a Data Controller for information related to our business operations and client relationships. When processing data on behalf of our clients through hosted services, we act as a Data Processor under applicable data protection laws.

Information We Collect

We collect various categories of information necessary to provide and improve our services. This includes personal contact and payment details provided during account registration, technical information such as IP addresses and device characteristics for security purposes, and records of communications through support channels. For clients utilizing our hosting services, we may process end-user data stored within client websites, though we do not control or monitor the collection practices of such data.

Purpose and Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal information only when we have proper justification under applicable laws. The primary legal bases for our processing activities include the necessity to fulfill contractual obligations to our clients, our legitimate business interests in maintaining and improving our services, and in limited cases, explicit consent for specific marketing communications. We maintain detailed records of processing activities to demonstrate compliance with legal requirements.

Use of Collected Information

The information we collect serves multiple business purposes. Primarily, we use this data to deliver and maintain reliable hosting services, including server provisioning, performance monitoring, and technical support. We also utilize information for business operations such as billing, customer relationship management, and service improvement initiatives. Security represents another critical use case, where we analyze data to detect and prevent fraudulent activity or unauthorized access to our systems.

Data Sharing and Third-Party Disclosures

We engage with carefully selected third-party service providers to support our operations, including cloud infrastructure providers, payment processors, and customer support platforms. These relationships are governed by strict contractual agreements that mandate appropriate data protection measures. We may disclose information when legally required to comply with court orders, government requests, or to protect our legal rights and the security of our services.

International Data Transfers

As a global service provider, we may transfer and process data in various locations worldwide. When transferring personal data originating from the European Economic Area or other regulated jurisdictions, we implement appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses and rely on adequacy decisions where applicable. Our subprocessors, including AWS Lightsail, maintain robust compliance certifications to ensure the protection of transferred data.

Data Retention Practices

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy. Client account information is typically maintained for five years following service termination to comply with legal and financial reporting obligations. Backup data associated with hosting services is automatically purged after thirty days, as specified in our Terms of Service. For data processed on behalf of clients, retention periods are determined by the respective client’s policies and instructions.

Security Measures

We implement comprehensive technical and organizational security measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction. Our security program includes network encryption protocols, regular vulnerability assessments, strict access controls, and employee training on data protection best practices. We maintain incident response procedures to address potential security breaches and will notify affected parties where required by law.

Individual Rights

Individuals whose personal data we process may exercise certain rights under applicable privacy laws. These rights may include requesting access to their information, seeking correction of inaccurate data, requesting deletion under specific circumstances, and objecting to particular processing activities. We have established procedures to handle such requests in accordance with legal requirements, typically responding within thirty days of receipt. Requests should be submitted to our designated Data Protection Officer through the contact information provided in this policy.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website employs various technologies to enhance user experience and analyze site performance. Essential cookies are used for basic functionality and security purposes, while analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our site. Marketing cookies are only deployed with explicit user consent. Visitors can manage cookie preferences through their browser settings or our cookie consent tool.

Policy Updates and Notifications

We periodically review and update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. Material changes will be communicated to affected clients through email notifications at least thirty days prior to implementation. Continued use of our services following such notifications constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact Information

For questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact our Data Protection Officer at info@westernmasshosting.com or by mail at:

Western Mass Hosting
22 Orlando. St.,
Feeding Hills, MA 01030.

We take all privacy-related inquiries seriously and will respond promptly to legitimate requests. For clients with specific data processing agreements, please reference your contract for any additional terms that may apply to our handling of your data.