Buffalo web design for a page that's light and still keeps you waiting.

The Buffalo homepages in our test aren't bloated. 18 of 44 came in under two megabytes, 41% against 31% in our 31-city sample, and that's on a modest sample with one run per site. Even so, 35 of those 44 took longer than four seconds to show their main content. Our read, and it is only that, is that a lean page can still keep its one heavy thing up front, where a visitor waits for it. We'd design the first screen around what it has to say, then pick the picture.

The rest of the page holds up about as well as the other cities' sites. 55% failed the contrast check, meaning some text fell short, against 62% in our sample. 8 of 44 failed on tap targets, against 22%. 21 of 44 had headings that skip levels. Gaps that small on a sample this size aren't findings. What the first screen must show depends on who's reading. A clinic owes a worried family a next step. A law office owes a careful reader names and practice areas. A restaurant owes everyone the hours. And 19.2% of residents speak a language other than English at home, so we'd leave room in the layout for a second one if your customers use it.

A new website runs $1,500 to $5,750 at a fixed price, up to 70 pages, and online stores start at $2,500. If only the first screen is wrong, design fixes may be a much smaller job, with repairs from $149. We'd rather tell you that than sell you the larger number. The Buffalo report has the whole test. Open your homepage on a phone, count the seconds to the main content, and send us what you find.