How do you boost web performance on mobile?

2 Minify and bundle your code

Another way to boost your web performance on mobile is to minify and bundle your code. Minification is the process of removing unnecessary characters, such as whitespace, comments, and line breaks, from your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. This reduces the file size and improves the parsing and execution speed of your code. Bundling is the process of combining multiple files into one, which reduces the number of HTTP requests and network latency. You can use tools like HTMLMinifier, CSSNano, or UglifyJS to minify your code, and tools like Webpack, Rollup, or Parcel to bundle your code.

3 Implement caching and service workers

Caching and service workers are two powerful features that can enhance your web performance on mobile by storing and serving your assets from the browser's cache or a local service worker. Caching is the technique of storing a copy of your website's resources, such as images, fonts, or stylesheets, on the browser's cache, so that they don't have to be downloaded again on subsequent visits. You can use the Cache-Control and Expires headers to control how long and how often your resources are cached. Service workers are scripts that run in the background and intercept network requests, allowing you to create offline experiences, push notifications, or background sync. You can use the ServiceWorker API to register, install, and activate a service worker on your website.

4 Use web fonts wisely

Web fonts can be used to enhance the typography and design of your website, but they can also affect web performance on mobile due to additional HTTP requests and rendering time. To use web fonts wisely, you should choose only the fonts and font weights you need, and avoid loading unnecessary or redundant fonts. Additionally, you should employ a font loading strategy such as FOUT (flash of unstyled text), FOIT (flash of invisible text), or FOFT (flash of faux text) to prevent blocking the rendering of your text while the fonts are loading. You should also use the font-display property to determine how the browser should handle the fallback and swap of your fonts, as well as a font subsetting tool, such as Font Squirrel or Glyphhanger, to reduce the file size of your fonts by removing unused characters.

5 Measure and monitor your performance

The last tip to boost your web performance on mobile is to measure and monitor your performance regularly. You can use tools like Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, or WebPageTest to analyze your website's performance and identify areas for improvement. You can also use tools like Google Analytics, Firebase Performance Monitoring, or New Relic to track and visualize your performance metrics, such as load time, speed index, or time to interactive. By measuring and monitoring your performance, you can ensure that you are meeting your users' expectations and delivering a fast and smooth mobile web experience.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?