Page speed isn’t just a technical metric — it’s a business metric. Every 100ms of load time costs you conversions. Here are the five most common performance mistakes we see, and how to fix them.
1. Unoptimized Images
This is still the number one offender. Serving a 4MB hero image when a properly compressed 200KB WebP would look identical is throwing bandwidth (and conversions) away. Use modern formats, implement lazy loading, and serve responsive sizes.
2. Too Many Third-Party Scripts
Every chat widget, analytics tool, and social media embed adds load time. Audit your third-party scripts quarterly. If it’s not directly contributing to conversions, it probably doesn’t need to load on every page.
3. No Caching Strategy
If your server is regenerating the same page for every visitor, you’re wasting resources and time. Implement proper browser caching, CDN distribution, and server-side caching. The difference is often dramatic — 4-second loads becoming 400ms.
4. Render-Blocking Resources
CSS and JavaScript that blocks the initial render makes your site feel slow even if the total load time is acceptable. Inline critical CSS, defer non-essential scripts, and prioritize above-the-fold content.
5. Ignoring Core Web Vitals
Google’s Core Web Vitals aren’t optional anymore. LCP, FID, and CLS directly affect your search rankings. Measure them, fix them, and monitor them continuously.