Form vs Function
In this blog post, we are talking about load times on mobile devices. One thing that may not be immediately obvious is that when it comes to visual appeal and functionality, you often have to choose between these two factors and strike the right balance. Of course, you want the site to look good, but the extra images and Javascript animations make the total size of the data that must be transmitted to the requesting device larger and take longer to load.
The Lighthouse Reports
We use Lighthouse reports to analyze managed websites to find opportunities for performance improvements. We consistently find that for websites with animated headers on the page, usually the home page, the performance on mobile devices is unacceptably poor. These reports were generated with 3G as the connectivity standard and separate from Desktop report parameters.
Web Design Changes for Mobile
We addressed the mobile performance issues discovered by the Lighthouse reports by making animated headers static and reducing Javascript animation code and images from the total page size. We also swapped out the Recent Post slider in the footer of websites with text-only navigation for mobile, further reducing Javascript animation code and images. The text navigation for recent posts on mobile is now located near the Blog Category text navigation element.
If you feel strongly about the animations being available on mobile, please contact us and let us know. Please be aware, longer load times may have a negative impact on your SEO.
