Why web performance?

1. Improved user experience
   • Speed and Accessibility: A faster website ensures that users can access content quickly without waiting for long load times, leading to a more satisfying experience.
   • User Engagement: Quick responses and seamless navigation keep users engaged and more likely to explore the site further, reducing bounce rates.
   • Mobile Optimization: Optimized performance is crucial for mobile users who may be on slower networks, ensuring a consistent experience across all devices.
2. Better search engine ranking
   • SEO Benefits: Search engines like Google factor in page speed as a ranking signal, meaning faster websites can achieve higher search rankings.
   • Crawl Efficiency: Faster websites can be crawled more effectively by search engine bots, leading to better indexing of site content and potentially more visibility in search results.
3. Increased conversions
   • Faster Checkout Process: For e-commerce sites, faster load times can reduce cart abandonment rates, leading to higher sales.
   • Enhanced Trust: Users are more likely to trust and purchase from a site that performs well, as it reflects reliability and professionalism.
   • Improved User Retention: A swift website can improve user satisfaction, leading to repeat visits and ongoing engagement, crucial for conversion rates.
4. Retaining users
   • Lower Bounce Rates: Slow loading times often lead to higher bounce rates as users leave in frustration, while faster sites retain more visitors.
   • Positive Brand Perception: A well-performing site fosters a positive perception of the brand, encouraging loyalty and repeat visits.
   • Enhanced User Loyalty: Users are more likely to return to a website that consistently provides a smooth and speedy experience.

How to measure web performance?

1. Page load time
   • Definition: The total time it takes for a web page to fully load all its resources and become usable for the visitor.
   • Tools: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, or WebPageTest to measure and analyze page load time.
2. First Contentful paint
   • Definition: The time from when the page starts loading to when any part of the page's content is rendered on the screen.
   • Importance: FCP is a critical metric as it provides the first visual feedback to the user, indicating that the page is starting to load.
   • Measurement: Tools like Lighthouse or Chrome DevTools can help measure FCP.
3. Time to Interactive
   • Definition: The time it takes for a page to become fully interactive, meaning it responds to user inputs like clicks and scrolls.
   • Relevance: TTI is crucial for user experience as it indicates when users can start interacting with the page without delays.
   • Measurement: Use tools like Lighthouse to assess TTI.

How to improve web performance?

1. Minimize redirects
   • Impact: Redirects introduce additional HTTP requests and delay page rendering, negatively affecting performance.
   • Strategy: Reduce the number of redirects by simplifying site structure and using direct links whenever possible.
2. Cache HTML responses
   • Benefits: Caching stores a version of the web page in the user's browser, reducing load times for subsequent visits.
   • Implementation: Implement browser caching using HTTP headers like Cache-Control to store frequently accessed files locally.
3. Measure server response times
   • Importance: Server response time affects how quickly a page starts to load, influencing overall performance.
   • Action: Optimize server performance by using efficient server-side code, leveraging caching, and choosing a reliable hosting service.
4. Compression
   • Purpose: Compressing files reduces their size, leading to faster transfer times and reduced load times.
   • Techniques: Use Gzip or Brotli compression for text-based files like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to minimize download size.
5. Content Delivery Networks (CDN)
   • Function: CDNs distribute content across multiple servers worldwide, ensuring faster delivery by serving content from the nearest server to the user.
   • Advantage: Reduces latency and improves load times, especially for users located far from the server hosting the original content.
6. Optimize Images
   • Reason: Images often make up the majority of a page's weight, significantly affecting load times.
   • Approach: Use responsive images, lazy loading, and modern formats like WebP to reduce file size without compromising quality.
7. Minify and Combine Files
   • Benefit: Minifying reduces the size of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files by removing unnecessary characters, while combining files reduces the number of HTTP requests.
   • Method: Use tools like UglifyJS for JavaScript and CSSNano for CSS to minify files.
8. Reduce Third-Party Scripts
   • Concern: Third-party scripts can slow down a website by adding extra HTTP requests and execution time.
   • Solution: Limit the use of third-party scripts and ensure they are loaded asynchronously to avoid blocking the main content.
9. Use Asynchronous Loading for JavaScript
   • Technique: Load JavaScript files asynchronously or defer their loading to avoid blocking the rendering of the page.
   • Implementation: Use the async or defer attributes in script tags to control how JavaScript is loaded.
10. Improve Critical Rendering Path
    • Objective: The critical rendering path is the sequence of steps the browser takes to render a web page. Optimizing it can lead to faster initial rendering.
    • Strategies: Minimize render-blocking resources and prioritize the loading of above-the-fold content.