Slow pages cost conversions. Before debating micro-optimizations, fix the big rocks: uncompressed hero images, missing lazy loading, render-blocking third-party scripts, and unbounded product gallery payloads.
Speed is a feature—especially on mobile checkout.
Set a performance budget. Measure LCP on your worst category pages and on the cart. If LCP is dominated by a slider, reconsider whether autoplay hero content is worth the bytes.
Caching strategy matters as much as code. Cache category fragments where possible, use CDN for static assets, and ensure your API or SSR layer does not refetch identical payloads on every navigation.
Finally, monitor real user metrics—not just lab scores. Tie releases to regressions so performance does not silently degrade sprint by sprint.
