It doesn’t matter how much bandwidth you have.  You know you still want to be faster online :) Besides the obvious solutions of upgrading your bandwidth or tweaking your browser for speed, here are 7 ways to speedily read web pages.

1. How to eliminate the need of clicking to the next page so you can read faster

AutoPager is a Firefox extension which automatically loads the next page of a site inline when you reach the end of the current page for infinite scrolling of content.  By default AutoPager works with a ton of sites, including Lifehacker, the New York Times, Digg, and, of course, Google.  If you want to add your own custom autopaging to unsupported sites – you can.  Autopager – because clicking the ‘next page’ link is just too difficult.

2. How to cut out distractions from other windows so you can read faster

JediConcentrate is a free app which smoothly fades out all windows except for the current active window. The purpose is to dim everything on all of your monitors when you need to get to work (or read web pages without constantly being distracted by shiny widgets and Instant Messages, or anything else really).

3. How to cut out ads so you can read faster

Ever been annoyed by all those ads and banners on the internet that often take longer to download than everything else on the page? Install Adblock Plus now and get rid of them.  Right-click on a banner and choose “Adblock” from the context menu — the banner won’t be downloaded again. In fact, this Firefox extension will block most advertisements fully automatically!

4. How to highlight keywords instantly so you can read faster

Firefox has an extremely useful native feature which allows you to highlight any specific text on a web page simply by searching for it (Ctrl F). and clicking the ‘highlight all’ button.  What this does is it highlights the keyword for you so you can easily skim through pages and find relevant text fast.  Google Toolbar also comes with a neat feature which highlights your search terms on any page.  This greatly speeds things up especially when you’re searching for answers on a page rather than casual reading.

5. How to just simply read faster

ZAP Reader is a web based speed reading program that will change the way you read on your computer. Current beta testers report reading twice as much in half the time—that’s a 300% increase in reading speed, without any loss in comprehension! There is nothing to install, it works with most popular browsers, and it’s totally free!

6. How to avoid squinting so you can read faster

Rather than reaching for your reading glasses or struggling to read small fonts on a webpage simply hold down CTRL and use your mouse scrollwheel in order to zoom in and out of a web page.  This tip works for both IE and Firefox.

7. How to convert text to speech so you DON’T have to read faster

OK, maybe you’ve just given up reading faster :)  For those people in this category, you can always try out Text to Speech so you can turn catch up on your reading in your car, or on your iPod by turning text into a sound file.  Here’s an excellent resource for this.

Do you use any quick methods to surf or read webpages?  Tell us in the comments!

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