Fast websites in 2025

Fast means three things

Speed is not one number. It is how your site feels while it loads and while people use it [1]Source 1 .

• The main content appears quickly [2]Source 2 .
• Interactions respond quickly [3]Source 3 .
• The layout stays stable [4]Source 4 .

What people experience

People do not think in milliseconds. They think in trust and frustration [7]Source 7 .

• Slow means I cannot see what this is yet.
• Laggy means I clicked and nothing happened.
• Jumpy means the page moved and I clicked the wrong thing [4]Source 4 .

The measures that match reality

Use metrics that reflect user experience on real devices. Focus on the pages that bring traffic and the pages that create conversions [6]Source 6 .

Loading speed

• LCP shows when the main content appears [2]Source 2 .
• Server response time influences how quickly the first bytes arrive.
• Page weight and request count predict how hard the page is to load on mobile.

Interaction responsiveness

• INP shows how quickly the site responds after clicks, taps, and typing [3]Source 3 .
• Long JavaScript tasks make INP worse and make the site feel unreliable [3]Source 3 .

Visual stability

• CLS shows whether the page shifts while loading [4]Source 4 .
• Layout shift causes misclicks and resets reading position [4]Source 4 .

What fast looks like in practice

Fast is a user experience standard, not a brag. These are signs your site is fast in the ways that matter [1]Source 1 .

• On a mid-range phone, the page becomes useful quickly.
• You start reading without waiting for the page to settle [4]Source 4 .
• Buttons respond without delay and forms do not feel sticky [3]Source 3 .
• Scrolling stays smooth.

What keeps sites slow

Large media and sloppy uploads

• Oversized images.
• Background video on landing pages.
• Heavy galleries without responsive sizes.
• Missing media dimensions causing layout shift [4]Source 4 .

Too much third-party code

• Tracking stacks.
• Chat widgets and pop-ups.
• Multiple tag managers and conversion scripts.
• Cookie tools that inject large bundles and block the main thread [9]Source 9 .

Heavy front end bundles

• Large JavaScript bundles shipped to every page.
• UI libraries loaded site-wide for small features.
• Hydration costs on pages that do not need it.
• Unused CSS and unused JavaScript.

Weak delivery

• Poor caching and repeated downloads.
• No CDN for static assets.
• Redirect chains that add delay.
• Slow server response for dynamic pages.

A simple approach that keeps sites fast

Prioritise the main message

• Load the content that explains the offer first [2]Source 2 .
• Delay anything decorative or optional.
• Avoid loading heavy widgets above the fold [9]Source 9 .

Ship less JavaScript

• Use progressive enhancement for interactive features.
• Use islands only where interaction is needed.
• Remove libraries that exist for convenience only.

Control third parties

• Set a cap on third-party scripts [9]Source 9 .
• Review quarterly and remove low value scripts [9]Source 9 .
• Load scripts only on pages that need them.

Set budgets

Budgets stop performance drifting after launch [8]Source 8 .

• A page weight budget per template [8]Source 8 .
• A request count budget per template.
• A maximum number of third-party scripts [9]Source 9 .
• A media policy for uploads.

Where to measure first

Measure in the places that earn money.

• Your top entry pages from search and social.
• Your top service pages and landing pages.
• Your main conversion pages, contact, donate, book, checkout.

Next step

If you want a fast site without constant effort, start with budgets and remove weight before adding new features [8]Source 8 . A small set of rules, applied consistently, beats occasional large clean-ups.