Get a caching plugin.
If you aren’t using Firefox, get it…and then install the “Page Speed” (Google) add on. It will help you pinpoint what is slowing down load times. Images are a big issue, resizing with CSS uses a lot of time to process. Yahoo has a program called “SmushIt” (you can get a plugin from www.remarpro.com) which will reduce image file size. It’s a great little plugin and works seamlessly. Any new images are automatically Smushed. Static content that issues cookies wastes time. Placement of Javascript interferes with page loading.
Consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN). I just started an account with Amazon using their Cloudfront network. It costs pennies a month to keep your static content on their servers. But, it definitely speeds up load times. My page speed rating went from the low 80’s to the 90’s (out of 100) with that alone.
Good luck,
Nick
