Web Performance Optimization Tips

Website performance is critical for user experience and SEO. In this post, I'll share some practical tips I've used to significantly improve performance metrics across multiple projects.

1. Image Optimization

Images are often the largest assets on a website. Optimize them by:

• Using modern formats like WebP with fallbacks
• Implementing responsive images with srcset
• Lazy loading images below the fold
• Compressing images without quality loss

Tools I recommend: TinyPNG, ImageOptim, Squoosh

2. Code Splitting

Large JavaScript bundles slow down page load. Split your code by:

• Route-based code splitting
• Component-based splitting for heavy libraries
• Dynamic imports for features used on specific pages

Framework support: React.lazy(), Next.js dynamic imports

3. Caching Strategies

Implement smart caching:

• Browser caching with proper cache headers
• Service Worker caching for offline support
• API response caching
• CDN distribution for static assets

4. CSS Optimization

• Remove unused CSS with tools like PurgeCSS
• Inline critical CSS for above-the-fold content
• Use CSS-in-JS for component-scoped styles
• Minimize and compress CSS files

5. Core Web Vitals

Focus on these Google metrics:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) - Should be < 2.5s
• First Input Delay (FID) - Should be < 100ms
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) - Should be < 0.1

Measuring Performance

• Use Google PageSpeed Insights
• Monitor with Lighthouse CI
• Use WebPageTest for detailed analysis
• Set up monitoring in production

Quick Wins

Start with these easy improvements:

1. Enable gzip compression
2. Upgrade to HTTP/2
3. Minify JavaScript and CSS
4. Remove unused dependencies
5. Optimize fonts (limit font families, use system fonts)

Remember: Performance optimization is an ongoing process. Measure, improve, and iterate!