May 13, 2025

Performance Anxiety & Google PageSpeed

By Tady Walsh Senior UX Development Lead

At the beginning of 2025, Arekibo launched a new website. We did a lot of internal tweaking, pushing and pulling to get to where it is now, and we’re proud of the work we’ve done on it. One of the key goals for me personally was ensuring high scores in Google PageSpeed. There are numerous tools available for evaluating site performance (e.g., GT Metrix, SEM Rush), but PageSpeed is the one built into Google Chrome and is the one most users will default to quickly.

We’ve always prided ourselves on our accessibility and best practices, so it was no surprise to me that we achieved 100% scores in both. I’ve never liked using a percentage score as a scale of accessibility, as so many of the WCAG 2.2 requirements can be subjective or open to a scale of adoption. However, knowing that both Axe Monitor and Google PageSpeed return 100% means that we’ve done what we can from an automated perspective. We continue to test with real-world experiences, but for this part, we can sign off as “done!”

Performance, on the other hand, has always been a bugbear of mine. Achieving high performance scores is extremely difficult. There are so many factors and, when dealing with a CMS environment, not all of them are under your control. Identifying factors that cause performance issues is also not always easy. Finally, the PageSpeed tools that instruct on how to achieve performance gains are often rabbit holes of complex “it might be this, but it might also be that.” In this article, I thought I’d look at some of the things you can do to improve performance.

Media

Quite often, the largest blocker to perform on any website is the media on the page (i.e. images or video). Optimising these is the best starting point. Often, PageSpeed will indicate that file size savings can be achieved, but it does not explain how to do so. There’s a lesson to be learned in increasing the physical file dimensions (e.g. rather than creating an image that is 300 x 200px for a 300 x 200px placeholder, creating an image 600 x 400px or even 900 x 600px, increasing the image compression) makes a much smaller image, without compromising on quality. Videos should be embedded rather than hosted, but if hosting is necessary, investigate native web formats that optimise file sizes. Also, using modern web formats can aid in keeping file sizes down, e.g. WEBP instead of PNG.

Scripts and stylesheets

The second blocker will most likely be your external JS and CSS libraries. It’s pretty standard to minify and concatenate these, but sometimes (e.g. in a WordPress site), plugins bring in their own dependencies. We try to minimise the impact on page load by deferring their loading until after the DOM load is complete (i.e. they’re the last things to load). We’ve also eliminated many older practices, such as including jQuery or Bootstap JS libraries for one specific use. While it sometimes takes a little longer, creating a standalone function to achieve the same result in Vanilla JS yields a more significant performance gain.

We write our CSS using SASS and have started scaling back on loading CSS that’s not required on the page. It has its own complexities, and sometimes the gains are small. However, any help that can be applied should be utilised.

FCP and LCP

There are two metrics which have the greatest impact on the page performance: First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). All the previous factors apply to this; however, FCP is the time it takes for the first part of the screen to be “painted” (i.e., for the UI to be loaded), and this can be delayed by the loading time of other assets (e.g., font files). LCP applies when a large asset is individually preventing the load of a page. This could be a large image file, a large background pattern, a large video element, or even a large script file.

Server and network inconsistencies

Finally, it is worth noting that you can run a performance test on a site and get a score of 55. You can run it again immediately and get a score of 90. You can run it again and get a score of 75. So, what’s going on here? We’re running the tests seconds apart. What’s happening is all the “bits” in between the server hosting and the web browser you are accessing. It depends on disk speed, router speed, network speed, modem speed, connection speed, browser speed, internal ram on the client, disk speed on the client, a whole host of things which need to work in perfect unison to give a perfect score. Realistically, we aim for a consistently “high” score (above 80) as an average in our testing. It is extremely difficult to achieve that perfection of performance speed, and to pretend it is always 100% possible is a fallacy. 

In the end, what makes your site more performant is your attention to detail and the consistent and regular optimisation of content as part of your site management. A good content strategy, which takes into consideration teachings on how to improve and optimise content, is essential in the planning phase of the website. If this is something you or your site struggles with, Arekibo can help you formulate this plan and provide training on how to achieve these goals.

FAQs about improving your website’s performance

Q: Why is Google PageSpeed so important?

PageSpeed is more than just a technical metric – it directly impacts how users experience your website and how search engines rank it. Here’s why it matters:

• User Experience -  Faster websites keep visitors engaged. Studies show that even a 1-second delay in page load can result in a 7% reduction in conversions. A high PageSpeed score means your site loads quickly, which keeps users from bouncing.
• Mobile Performance - Google PageSpeed Insights places a strong emphasis on mobile loading speeds. With more users browsing on mobile devices, optimising for this is critical.
• SEO Rankings - Google uses page speed as a ranking factor. Sites that load faster are prioritised in search results, making PageSpeed optimisation essential for visibility.
• Accessibility - Faster sites are more accessible to users with slower internet connections or older devices, expanding your reach.
• Benchmarking Tool - Since PageSpeed is built into Chrome and other Google products, it’s the default tool for many web managers and clients to assess performance. It’s their ‘go-to’ for monitoring performance.

Q: What’s a good PageSpeed score to aim for?

Aim for 100% - however, it’s often unrealistic due to factors beyond your control (e.g., server/network inconsistencies). Consistently scoring above 80 is considered excellent.

Q: What’s the biggest factor affecting website performance?

Media assets, such as images and videos, are usually the largest contributors to slow page load times. Optimising file sizes and using modern formats like WEBP can make a big difference.

Q: Should I host videos directly on my website?

If possible, avoid hosting videos directly. Embedding them from platforms like YouTube or Vimeo is more efficient for these performance scores.

Q: How can JavaScript and CSS impact site speed?

Large or unoptimised JS and CSS files can delay the page’s loading. Minifying, deferring, and only loading essential code can improve performance. 

Q: What are FCP and LCP, and why are they important?

• First Contentful Paint (FCP) measures the time it takes for the first visual content to be rendered and appear on the screen.
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures when the largest visible element loads.

Improving these metrics makes the site feel faster to users.

Q: Why do performance scores vary when testing multiple times?

Scores fluctuate due to server load, network speed, and device performance. Aim for consistent high averages rather than perfect scores every time.

Q: Does optimising performance improve accessibility too?

Often yes, as faster loading and simpler structures can benefit users with assistive technologies. However, accessibility requires dedicated effort beyond performance improvements.

Q: Can Arekibo help me improve my website’s performance?

Absolutely, we offer tailored solutions, including performance audits, optimisation strategies, and training to help you maintain a fast, accessible site.