TTFB stands for Time To First Byte in simple language measuring how long the browser must wait before receiving the first byte of data from the server.
The acronym time To First Byte is a simple measure of how long the browser has to wait before receiving the first byte of data from the server.
The longer this data is received, the longer it takes for the page to be displayed to the visitor.
Time To First Byte is the timeframe from the moment http request is sent from the browser to the server, until the first byte of the data is received by the browser from the server.
When calculating this timeframe, the time required for DNS Lookup and network delays are also taken into account.
TTFB is one of the most important aspects in evaluating the performance and optimality of websites.
The lower this timeframe, the faster the user’s access to resources and page load.
TTFB consists of three separate components:
• The time required to send an HTTP Request (HTTP Request Time: When opening a website in the browser, it is sent to the server by the HTTP Request browser, one of the factors influencing the duration of this request from the browser to the server is the following:
1- The duration of DNS Lookup
2- The geographical distance between the user and the server 3- the existence of firewalls with complex rules in the distance between the user and the server
. User and server
4- User Internet speed
• Time required to process request by server (Process Request Time): The server processes it after receiving the user’s request and generates a response according to the request received. The time required to call the database, the lack of use of Caching mechanisms, the lack of optimal code or format used are all factors affecting the processing time and production of responses.
• Duration required to receive the first byte of server data sent by the user (HTTP Response Time): After generating server responses, this response is sent to the user. User and server Internet speeds play an important role in how long the browser receives this response.
According to the above, in general, the most common factors affecting the increase in the amount of TTFB can be categorized as follows:
• Content type (static or dynamic)
• Network problems (low bandwidth, very geographical distance, firewalls with complex rules, etc.)
• Poor web server configuration (lack of optimization of codes and templates, no use of Caching mechanisms, etc.)
• Poor server resources (RAM, CPU, disk I/O, etc.)
• Poor database design/configuration
Is Time To First Byte important?
It is very important to know that TTFB and website speed are not the same.
There’s a lot of discussion on the web about whether TTFB matters or not.
Some say TTFB is meaningless and others say it matters.
Both groups bring reasons for what they say and ask questions about how to calculate it.
Even Moz’s website conducted an extensive study of the link between search rankings and TTFB.
However, knowing the cause of this issue, or whether sites with lower TTFB are faster, could in turn be affected by Google’s page ranking factors.
But instead of spending time on the importance of having or not having it in SEO, you can focus on improving this important criterion.
Whatever you do can affect the overall speed of your site of any kind of CMS (WordPress, Joomla, etc.) and this may affect your TTFB as well.
Loading speed was very slow in experiments with high TTFB.
All in all, if the loading speed is below 100 milliseconds, TTFB is appropriate.
Google PageSpeed Insights recommends a time of less than 200 milliseconds for each response.
If you’re in the range of 300 to 500 milliseconds, it’s pretty much standard.
And if you’re over 600 milliseconds, there may be a problem with server configuration or it’s time to upgrade to a better web application.
Alternatively, you can follow the instructions stated below to reduce TTFB and remember that SSL/TLS can also be a contributing factor.
Normal timeframe for TTFB
The amount of TTFB depending on the type of content (static or dynamic content) and server configuration can vary, so determining the exact value for TTFB as a good and ideal timeframe is difficult and completely dependent on the situation.
However, the average can be relatively specified.
For example, TTFB below 100 milliseconds indicates that the position is excellent, TTFB is normal and standard in the range of 200 to 500 milliseconds, and TTFB above 500 milliseconds to a second indicates a problem and requires investigation.
As mentioned above, these values are relative averages and cannot be extended to all websites.
Depending on the type of content and complexity of the website, it may take a little over a second for TTFB, and given the location, this amount is not unusual and far from standard.
We hope that the article of familiarity with the concept of TFTF B has been useful.