Will adding RAM help load web pages?

I believe that 8 GB of RAM is barely sufficient for the newer operating system such as High Sierra. If a different browser doesn't help, I would the upgrade the RAM. Incidentally, among my newer iMacs, I have an older 2009 iMac which still runs fine. I use it primarily on the internet. I upgraded its RAM to 16 GB which made a difference.

Yes—- it’ll help, somewhat . Right now you have the bare minimum needed . You can go up to 32 gigs of RAM for $80( plus shipping) and installation is easy. I’d recommend buying from a reputable vendor such as OWC ( www.macsales.com ) . An SSD would help a bunch, too, but it’s not something you can install yourself… so, find your local AASP ( apple authorized service provider, give them a call, back up your iMac and take it in to have both the RAM upgraded and an SSD installed.. the only minus ( if you can call it that) is that SSD’s are more expensive than conventional hard drives, but they are faster for data access

john B

Try a more modern browser such as Firefox or Brave.

Memory is not trivial to upgrade on iMac 21.5”. An SSD is usually a better investment, but here you’re on an iMac that’s old enough to have slow external storage connections. If you do decide to disassemble the entire iMac (again) or to ask an Apple authorized reseller to upgrade it, you’ll want to upgrade both memory and SSD.

You will have SSL/TLS network connectivity issues with Safari as far back as High Sierra, as well. A different browser can be a workaround, there.

Have you installed and run any "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus or VPN apps on your Mac?