Render-blocking resources can negatively impact a website’s page speed and user experience. When a web page loads, it must download and render all the resources, such as images, CSS files, and JavaScript files, before it can display the page to the user. However, if certain resources are render-blocking, they can delay the page load time and cause the user to experience a slow-loading page.
A render-blocking resource is a resource that prevents a web page from being displayed until it has been fully downloaded and rendered. Common examples of render-blocking resources include JavaScript and CSS files that are placed in the head section of a web page.
There are several ways to identify render-blocking resources on a web page. One way is to use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool, which analyzes a web page’s performance and provides suggestions for improving its speed and user experience.
Once render-blocking resources have been identified, there are several strategies that can be used to minimize their impact on page load time. One strategy is to defer the loading of render-blocking resources by placing them at the bottom of the HTML document or using the “defer” attribute in the script tag.
Another strategy is to use asynchronous loading of JavaScript files, which allows the browser to continue loading the page while the JavaScript file is being downloaded and executed.
In addition, businesses can optimize their CSS files by removing any unused code, minimizing the file size, and using a CSS preprocessor, such as Sass or Less, to generate efficient CSS code.
By optimizing render-blocking resources, businesses can improve their website’s page speed and user experience, which can lead to increased traffic, engagement, and conversions.
References:
- Google Developers. (n.d.). Optimize CSS delivery. Retrieved from https://developers.google.com/speed/docs/insights/OptimizeCSSDelivery
- Google Developers. (n.d.). Optimize JavaScript execution. Retrieved from https://developers.google.com/speed/docs/insights/BlockingJS
- Moz. (n.d.). Render-blocking JavaScript and CSS. Retrieved from https://moz.com/learn/seo/render-blocking-javascript
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