What are the best practices for optimizing website performance, and how can I effectively measure improvements after implementing changes?
- Make sure your code is valid: https://validator.w3.org/.
- Optimise the rendering speed: https://pagespeed.web.dev/.
- Ask others what they think of your site in terms of intuitive navigation, clarity, being to the point (don’t waste words) and being complete at the same time.
You could start with image compression, lazy loading, and efficient coding practices (minify CSS, JavaScript). Using a CDN helps serve content faster by using servers close to users. Also, caching (both browser and server-side) reduces load times by reusing resources for repeat visitors. To measure improvements, you can use Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and GTmetrix; which can give you detailed reports on loading speeds, render-blocking resources, and best practices compliance. Compare your site’s Core Web Vitals before and after optimizations - metrics like LCP and FID are good key indicators of performance. Test on mobile and desktop to get a comprehensive view of improvements.