How to test your website

Written By Wolfgang Geiger

WordPress developer in Hong Kong specializing in making websites work in Mainland China. More information on the About Me page

If you are not in Mainland China using the infrastructure there (not a foreign SIM card), then it’s hard to test your website’s speed.

Fortunately, there are websites that help with that. They aren’t always 100% accurate, but can be used as a good indicator.

The one I personally like best is WebPageTest.

Here’s how to use it to test your site in Mainland China:

Testing your website in Mainland China

First go to WebPageTest.

China Website Speed Test Step 1

Put in your URL and click on “Advanced Configuration”.

China Website Speed Test Step 2

For “Test Location” pick either Shanghai, Beijing or Ningxia. Then click on “Start Test”.

Wait for the result

Waiting to get a result might take some time. You might have to queue, and even when your test starts, be prepared to wait another 10 minutes to see a result.

Your screen will look something like this for some time:

China Website Speed Test Step 3

Results

After some time, you’ll see results. They will look something like this:

China Website Test Result

Interpreting those results is the secret sauce. If your loading times are between 5-15 seconds, you should be fine.

What you want to look out for are very long lines, indicating that certain files get loaded very slowly.

Limitations

This tool has its limitations in that it not always accurately mirrors the real world when it comes to e.g. Google Fonts or Gstatic files. They usually seem to load reasonably fast here, which they aren’t always in the real world.

However, it’s a great tool to get a rough handle on how your website is performing in Mainland China.

If you have questions or need help with your website, click on the button below to get in touch.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

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