On a 56k connection a Webpage loads within 8 seconds. The following methods are all ways you can speed up your page load time.

1. Webpages that use JavaScript are programmed with the script at the top of the document.  Due to this until the JavaScript is has fully loaded the page can't be seen. If the JavaScript is placed at the bottom of the document the visual content will load first which will cut out some of the load time. The page will still be loading when it is viewable within the browser but the user will be unaware of this.
   

2. Loading in external documents such as style sheets or JavaScript files can also increase a page's load time. Including them in the html file decreases the readability of the code for a programmer but does lessen the load time of the page significantly. When you've got your website working correctly, take some time to copy paste external code into the main document.
   

3. There are three main formats of graphic that are used for webpages. These comprise of: Portable Network Graphics (png), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and Graphics Interchange Format (gif). Deciding on a format that both retains the quality of the graphic and lessens the file size is very important. A gif type image is the smallest format so if your graphics only contain a small number of colours then this would be the primary choice. JPEGs can be adjusted to vary in quality, you should aim for the lowest quality possible without compromising the quality of the image. PNGs can provide images with transparent backgrounds but have a bigger file size than the two previous formats. An additional image format is Bitmap (bmp), which are very large files that retain the full quality of the image. Fast loading webpages shouldn't contain any images of this file type.
   

4. A minimal use of images, in particular animated gifs will also decrease page load time. Animated gifs are made up of more than one image and therefore have a greater file size. The lower the file size of the externally loaded graphic, the faster the page will load. The quantity of images being loaded is also worth noting as it also effects page load time.
   

5. Flash animations or swf files are more common these days than animated gifs. However they're file size is considerably bigger than that of animated gifs. They should only be used on a page where absolutely essential. It is worth considering using an animated gif in oppose to a swf if your animation is short and doesn't require any user interaction. However if your animation requires audio a gif won't be appropriate. The use of swfs will also require additional code to check if the user has a flash player installed. Further code equates to a greater file size and is therefore another reason to only use swfs where necessary.
   

6. It is advisable to combine separate images where you can to lessen page load time. The overall file size of two separate images will be more than that of one. The more graphics the page needs to load the more http requests it needs to execute and this also increases loading time.