Performance Issues

Website performance directly impacts user experience, conversion rates, and search engine rankings. Google uses Core Web Vitals as ranking signals, making performance optimization a critical business priority.

Performance Impact

User Experience

• 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load
• 1 second delay can reduce conversions by 7%
• Poor performance creates frustration and damages brand perception

Business Metrics

• Improved LCP correlates with higher engagement and conversion rates
• Reduced CLS decreases user frustration and accidental clicks
• Fast TTFB ensures content reaches users quickly

Search Rankings

• Core Web Vitals are confirmed Google ranking factors
• Performance affects mobile search rankings more significantly
• Poor performance can prevent rich results eligibility

Core Web Vitals

Google's Core Web Vitals measure three critical aspects of user experience:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

Measures: Loading performance Target: < 2.5 seconds Impact: Main content visibility

LCP measures how long it takes for the largest content element to become visible in the viewport. This is typically a hero image, video, or large text block.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

Measures: Visual stability Target: < 0.1 Impact: Unexpected layout shifts

CLS quantifies how much visible content shifts during page load. High CLS causes users to accidentally click wrong elements.

First Contentful Paint (FCP)

Measures: Initial rendering Target: < 1.8 seconds Impact: Perceived loading speed

FCP measures when the first content element becomes visible, providing feedback that the page is loading.

Additional Performance Metrics

Time to First Byte (TTFB)

Measures: Server response time Target: < 800ms Impact: Foundation for all other metrics

TTFB measures server response latency. Poor TTFB makes it impossible to achieve good scores on other metrics.

Total Blocking Time (TBT)

Measures: Interactivity blocking Target: < 200ms Impact: User interaction responsiveness

TBT quantifies how long the main thread is blocked, preventing user interactions from being processed.

Common Performance Issues

Server-Side Issues

• Slow hosting infrastructure
• Unoptimized database queries
• Missing server-side caching
• Inadequate CDN coverage

Resource Issues

• Unoptimized images (file size and format)
• Unminified CSS and JavaScript
• Missing compression (gzip/brotli)
• Render-blocking resources

Code Issues

• Excessive JavaScript execution
• Third-party script overhead
• Inefficient CSS selectors
• Memory leaks

Architecture Issues

• Missing lazy loading
• No resource prioritization
• Synchronous font loading
• Excessive HTTP requests

Diagnostic Tools

Google Tools

• PageSpeed Insights - Official Core Web Vitals testing
• Chrome DevTools - Detailed performance profiling
• Lighthouse - Comprehensive auditing
• Search Console - Real-world field data

Third-Party Tools

• WebPageTest - Advanced performance testing
• GTmetrix - Combined performance analysis
• Pingdom - Global load time testing
• Chrome UX Report - Aggregated user data

Real User Monitoring

• BlueFrog Analytics - Continuous performance tracking
• Google Analytics 4 - Web Vitals reporting
• Cloudflare Analytics - Server-side metrics

Performance Optimization Strategy

1. Measure Current Performance

   • Run PageSpeed Insights for baseline metrics
   • Identify which Core Web Vitals need improvement
   • Document current scores for comparison

2. Prioritize Issues

   • Fix TTFB first (foundation for all metrics)
   • Address LCP next (most visible improvement)
   • Optimize CLS (user experience impact)
   • Improve FCP and TBT (refinement)

3. Implement Fixes

   • Follow issue-specific guides below
   • Test changes in staging environment
   • Verify improvements with testing tools

4. Monitor Continuously

   • Track Core Web Vitals over time
   • Monitor real user data
   • Address regressions promptly

Issue Guides

Select your specific performance issue:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
• First Contentful Paint (FCP)
• Time to First Byte (TTFB)
• Total Blocking Time (TBT)

Each guide provides detailed diagnostic procedures, general fixes, and platform-specific implementation instructions.