Google PageSpeed — how we speeded up FORMA’s website
What is Google PageSpeed Insights
Google PageSpeed Insights (PSI) is a free service from Google that analyzes the performance of web pages and provides detailed recommendations for speeding up their loading on both mobile devices and desktops. The service measures key metrics of speed and user experience, such as first content completion time (FCP), first content completion time (LCP), layout stability (CLS), and first interaction delay (FID).
PSI provides a performance score from 0 to 100, where 90 and above is an excellent indicator, 50-89 requires improvement, and below 50 is a poor site condition. In addition to the numerical score, the tool shows specific errors and recommendations that will help speed up the site, such as optimizing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript, enabling compression, and using caching. This tool is considered one of the main tools in the arsenal of web developers today for increasing site speed and improving user experience.
Why is website speed important
Modern users are accustomed to fast access to information. Slow loading scares away visitors: they leave the site before loading, which increases the bounce rate and reduces conversions. In addition, Google uses speed metrics when ranking sites, especially for mobile search. Thus, speed optimization directly affects the visibility of the site in search and the success of the business online.
How we improved the loading speed of the forma.agency website
At Forma Agency, we understand that a fast website is a key factor in successful interaction with clients and the presentation of a quality digital product. When developing and subsequently supporting our forma.agency website, we used PageSpeed Insights to systematically improve performance. See the result of our website optimization below.
Initial audit
The first step was a comprehensive site check via PSI to identify bottlenecks. We saw that the page was taking a long time to load large images, had many unoptimized scripts, and was experiencing downtime due to a slow server. Visual shifts during loading were detrimental to the user experience.
Implementing optimizations
Reducing server response time
Optimized server settings and database, which reduced delays in the initial receipt of the HTML document.
Image optimization
All images were compressed without loss of quality using modern WebP formats and correctly scaled for different screens. This solution significantly reduced the weight of the pages and accelerated loading.
Minification and critical CSS
We minified CSS and JavaScript files by removing spaces, comments, and unused styles. Critical styles were embedded directly into the HTML for fast initial rendering, and the rest of the CSS was loaded asynchronously so as not to block the display of content.
Asynchronous script loading
Most JavaScript files were switched to deferred or asynchronous loading so that the main content became available to the user earlier, and scripts did not delay the page display.
Using caching and CDN
Configured caching in the browser for static resources and implemented Content Delivery Network (CDN), which allowed users from different regions to load the site content faster.
Results
After implementing all the recommendations, the PageSpeed Insights score for the forma.agency website on mobile devices increased from 55 to 92 points, and on the desktop — from 70 to 94 points. The time before the main content loaded was reduced by more than half, visual stability improved, and the response to user actions became instantaneous.
Our experience and recommendations
Using Google PageSpeed Insights helped us not only to see problems, but also to receive specific instructions on how to solve them. This structured approach to improving performance has become part of our internal methodology when working with any projects.
For other companies that want to speed up their websites, we recommend:
- Regularly conduct an audit in PageSpeed Insights and track the dynamics of the indicators.
- Implement optimizations in stages, paying attention to both the mobile and desktop versions.
- Do not limit yourself to the PSI tool — use additional tools to analyze server latencies, JavaScript performance, and CDN availability.
- Periodically update optimizations, taking into account new technologies and Google requirements.
Conclusion
Google PageSpeed Insights is an indispensable assistant for any company that cares about its online presence. Website speed directly affects user experience, search results and conversions. At Forma Agency, we will continue to use this tool to maintain a high level of performance and invite everyone to use the capabilities of PSI to improve their web projects.
If you need advice or help with website optimization, contact us. We will help make your resource fast and efficient!
