Techniques For Optimizing Frontend Performance

Yesterday, an e-commerce client asked how to increase site speed without losing their marketing tracking. Here's our approach. This client is a $100M+ online retailer with a complex channel mix. Thus, they have lots of marketing pixels onsite. Our recommended approach: 1.) Remove libraries and pixels no longer needed. Audit your existing pixels and events. Disable any pixels/events that are no longer needed. Check for errors and fix any broken pixels. 2.) Tag Managers Move all 3rd party javascript (libraries/pixels) into a tag manager. Tools like GTM, Tealium, Adobe Launch benefit primarily help with data governance and standardization. However, tag managers can also minify and cache 3rd party libraries, reducing page load times. Additionally, they often have OOTB capability to set the priority (sequence) of the tags, more on this below. 3.) Server-side tagging Many ad platforms can receive events server-side vs. clientside (through javasript in the browser). Examples include Meta, Google, TikTok. This can take some of the load off the browser. There are good 3rd party tools for this, including Blotout and Elevar. Server-side tracking has the added benefit of restoring signal to the ad platforms. More conversions to the ad platform will result in better optimization and reduced ad spend. 4.) Sequencing Less-important libraries This is a biggie. If pixels aren't required for the page render, have your web-dev team defer them later in the page. This can also be done in the tag manager. Most tag managers load tags asynchronously by default. That means they load in parallel and won't block other resources from loading. Full-service performance optimization tools like Yottaa can automatically sequence the libraries and calls (very good but not cheap). In summary, I'd tackle in this order: - Remove any pixels/libraries you no longer use/need - Move all 3rd party pixels to a tag manager (GTM) - Fix broken pixels - Optimize the load order of the libraries (sequencing) - Setup server-side tracking for ad platforms if available What else would you add? #measure #digitalanalytics #marketinganalytics #ecommerce

Ever wonder why your perfectly-coded UI still stutters? Chances are, you're triggering too many paints. Let’s go a level deeper into the browser rendering pipeline—and where performance gets crushed. Reflow vs. Repaint vs. Composite — in real-world terms: Reflow (Layout): Like rearranging furniture in a room. You move one chair, and now the entire layout adjusts. Expensive! Repaint: You didn’t move anything, but you painted a new color on the walls. Still work for the browser. Composite: Think of layers of glass stacked on top. You just changed the order—no repaint or reflow. Here’s the golden rule: Avoid reflow when possible. (Use position: absolute, will-change, contain) Minimize repaint-heavy properties. (box-shadow, border, background) Stick to GPU-friendly properties. (transform, opacity) Pro tip: Want to see this in action? Turn on "Paint Flashing" in Chrome DevTools → Rendering tab. Scroll your page. If everything lights up green, you’ve got a repaint storm. The best front-end developers aren't just good with React or CSS. They know how to speak browser. Time to level up. #FrontendTips #PerformanceMatters #RenderingPipeline #BrowserInternals #DevTools #CSS #JavaScript #RepaintStorm

Brain Boost Drop #15 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗼 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆? – 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸𝘀 I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked, “Why is our site so slow?” Over the years, I’ve worked on debugging countless performance issues — and in most cases, it wasn’t just one thing slowing things down. It was a combination of small bottlenecks adding up. Here are 10 common reasons websites load slowly—plus simple fixes that make a huge difference. 1️⃣ Large or Unoptimized Media Files – Compress images, use WebP or next-gen formats. 2️⃣ Too Many HTTP Requests – Combine files, use CSS sprites, and reduce plugins. 3️⃣ Inefficient Code & Scripts – Minify, defer non-critical code, and eliminate unused scripts. 4️⃣ No Caching Strategy – Implement browser or server-side caching for frequently accessed assets. 5️⃣ No CDN in Place – Use a Content Delivery Network to reduce latency. 6️⃣ Slow Server Response Time – Optimize backend queries, upgrade hosting, and implement load balancing. 7️⃣ Unoptimized Third-Party Scripts – Load asynchronously or defer until after page load. 8️⃣ Not Mobile-Optimized – Use responsive design and test for mobile performance. 9️⃣ Render-Blocking Resources – Prioritize critical CSS/JS, defer the rest. 🔟 Too Many Redirects – Fix broken links and reduce unnecessary hops. These bottlenecks are easy to miss but powerful to fix. Even one or two changes can transform user experience and reduce bounce rates. 💬 What’s the most common performance issue you’ve encountered in your projects? #WebPerformance #FrontendDevelopment #WebsiteOptimization #DeveloperInsights