I recently updated my website and was surprised by how long the pages take to load. The images are already optimized, and I don't think I'm including unnecessary JavaScript. I started from a template, though, so the stylesheet still contains some unused rules and components I may not need. Could an oversized CSS file be responsible for most of the slowdown? I'm looking for a tool or workflow that can identify the specific files or requests causing the problem.
3 Answers
Run the page through Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, or WebPageTest for a more itemized report. These tools can flag render-blocking resources, oversized files, uncompressed assets, third-party requests, and other performance problems.
CSS can block rendering, but it usually isn’t the main problem unless the file is unusually large or complex. The bigger issue here appears to be media: several large GIFs add up to roughly 9 MB. Converting animations to a more efficient format and reducing their dimensions or quality would likely make a much larger difference. Also fix any HTTP resources being loaded from an HTTPS page, and address the Canvas-related console warning.
Start with your browser’s developer tools and open the Network tab. Disable the cache, reload the page, and sort the requests by size and duration. That will show exactly which files are taking the most time. Check the Console too, since protocol errors and failed requests can add delays.
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