Why I Build Performance-First Websites

Every 100ms of load time costs conversions. Every kilobyte of JavaScript delays interactivity. Yet most modern web frameworks ship megabytes of client-side code by default.

The Numbers

• 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take over 3 seconds to load
• Every 100ms of latency reduces conversion by 1%
• The median web page ships over 500KB of JavaScript

My Approach

I start with zero JavaScript and add it only when genuinely needed. Static HTML is fast, cacheable, and accessible by default.

Tools I Reach For

• Astro for static generation with zero JS by default
• Tailwind CSS for utility-first styling without runtime overhead
• Pagefind for client-side search without a server
• Self-hosted fonts to eliminate third-party requests

What I Measure

Every project starts with a performance budget:

• LCP under 2.5 seconds (ideally under 1s)
• CLS under 0.1 (no layout shift)
• Zero render-blocking resources
• Lighthouse 97+ across all categories

The Trade-off That Isn’t

People assume performance-first means ugly or limited. It doesn’t. It means thoughtful. You can build beautiful, interactive experiences that load instantly — you just have to be intentional about what ships to the browser.