Speed vs Features: The Tradeoff Myth

"Do you want a fast website, or do you want a feature-rich website?"

This is a false choice. The real question is: do you want a well-engineered website.

With proper architecture, lazy loading, code splitting, and performance optimization, you can have both speed AND rich functionality. The tradeoff only exists when you cut corners.

• Conversion: Every 100ms of latency costs 1% of conversions
• SEO: Core Web Vitals are now ranking factors
• UX: Perceived performance affects user trust

Here's what a high-performance build looks like:

1. Image optimization: WebP/AVIF with responsive sizing
2. Code splitting: Only load what's needed for the current view
3. Edge caching: CDN for static assets, edge functions for dynamic content
4. Font loading: Subset fonts, font-display: swap
5. Third-party scripts: Defer non-critical scripts, self-host when possible

Don't optimize blindly. Focus on:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): < 2.5s
• FID (First Input Delay): < 100ms
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): < 0.1

Use real user monitoring, not just synthetic tests. Lab data and field data tell different stories.

Speed isn't a feature — it's a requirement. Don't let anyone tell you it's a tradeoff.