Slow websites could cost UAE businesses billions

INTERNET SPEED: Slow websites cost businesses lost opportunities. (Getty Images)

Slow and expensive internet connections are costing UAE businesses billions of dollars in lost opportunities, a locally-based UK web consultancy has said.

Internet users will abandon websites that are slow to load or respond to their clicks – known as ‘bailout behaviour’ – Fahed Bizzari, CEO and founder of Online Associates.

Site speed optimisation can help businesses improve their return on investments, something which is especially important for UAE firms that have the added problem of slow and expensive internet speeds compared to those in the UK or Japan.

“When confronted with a slow website, users take the easy route and simply abandon it,” said Bizzari. “This process, referred to as ‘bailout behaviour’, is a clear indication that a website is failing to fulfill its objectives.

“Research shows that bailout behaviour costs website owners billions of dollars each year in lost opportunities.”

Bizzari said developers should not sacrifice image quality to speed up websites because this also creates negative perceptions among internet users.

“Optimising for speed should be second nature for any developer, and website owners should insist that such optimisation is part of their project specifications,” he said.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Most expensive internet in the world
Posted by Ahmed, Dubai on Sunday 16 August 2009 at 15:05 UAE time


This place aims for superlatives but having the most expensive internet in the world isn't something to be proud of. It's not only a major headache for businesses to feasibly function online, it is a huge cost for the average user to bear.

There is no excuse for this since much of the third world has better internet facilities at a tenth of the cost today. Don't forget, there are significant economic benefits to be derived from reasonable internet facilities.

PR spin isn't going to fix this. Someone is sleeping behind the wheel.

TECOM & du
Posted by JT on Sunday 16 August 2009 at 14:51 UAE time


I was disappointed actually by the service that du telecom is offering in Tecom area, the connection is rubbish; du just do the advertising everywhere you go, but as service is nothing. Why they don't offer a good service, it is a chance to them to improve their corporate image through offering free internet in TECOM, so give good connection.

Shame...daylight robbery
Posted by Ryan, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 16 August 2009 at 14:46 UAE time


I think UAE should understand that internet is no more a luxury ,rather it's a necessity for humans.It's so damm expensive in this country,the telecom companies are literally robbing us !
Shame...shame....

It's a shame!!!
Posted by Jebel Ali Baba, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 16 August 2009 at 13:25 UAE time


The internet access in the UAE is a shame. Even though the infrastructure is building up since a few years only, the technology behind it is from the Stone Ages. Slow ISDN lines, overloaded routers and slow proxy servers make the performance of the UAE net the 100th in the world by download and 128th by upload speed only (source: www.speedtest.net). But we pay up to ten times more than in compareable countries. This is real daylight robbery. And at the moment Etisalat faces technical problems which they cannot solve since three weeks. Can you believe this?

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