What would be possible if browsing the Web were as fast as turning the pages of a magazine?

That’s what Google wants to know. In a campaign made public yesterday, Google is lobbying Web developers to join its efforts to speed up the Internet.

Several factors combine to hold back Web speed, Google asserts, including Web sites that don’t follow best practices in Web development, Web servers that aren’t optimized for speed, aged Internet protocols (such as HTML and TCP/IP) and slow browsers.

“We invite you to join us in exploring and innovating across the entire spectrum of performance -- from Internet protocols to the browser to website development,” Google writes. “Together, let's make the web faster!”

Google’s rally for a faster Web centers on best practices. It has made available a number of articles focused on different techniques for speeding up Web content delivery. For example, Google’s resources include an explanation of the gzip method of compression.

“Simply put, gzip compression works by finding similar strings within a text file, and replacing those strings temporarily to make the overall file size smaller. This form of compression is particularly well-suited for the web because HTML and CSS files usually contain plenty of repeated strings, such as whitespace, tags, and style definitions,” reads a tutorial authored by Google Webmasters Kevin Khaw and Eric Higgins.

Another article promises simple changes that can speed up existing PHP scripts, while a document about browser reflow discusses how to minimize reflow, a CPU-intensive part of the browser rendering process. In addition, there are resources on HTTP caching, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and optimizing JavaScript code.

Google isn’t just championing its own methods. One resource highlights best practices that Yahoo has used to reduce the response times of its Web properties by 25% to 50%.

Achieving its goal of a faster Web won’t be achieved overnight, Google acknowledges: “Making the web faster requires the collaboration of multiple constituents, including web developers, standards bodies, internet companies and regulatory authorities. This is going to be a long process. However we are optimistic and we hope internet users will see real improvements in the responsiveness of web apps soon.”

Readers, what do you think of Google’s new campaign? Comments are always welcome.

Ann Bednarz is associate news editor at Network World.