Glossary · Performance
Render-blocking resources.
Stylesheets and scripts the browser must download and process before it can draw anything, leaving the visitor looking at a blank screen while they load.
Why it matters.
Every plugin, font service and chat widget added over the years usually adds one. The fix is rarely optimisation and usually removal: on most small business sites, half the render-blocking requests are for features nobody has used in years. What must stay can be loaded after the page has drawn.
How to check it yourself.
Ask your developer for the list of scripts loading before the page draws, then ask what each is for. Any answer that starts with "I think it was for" is a candidate for removal.
Questions
Before you ask.
How do I check render-blocking resources on my own site?
Ask your developer for the list of scripts loading before the page draws, then ask what each is for. Any answer that starts with "I think it was for" is a candidate for removal.
Two minutes
Where does your
own site land?
Everything above came from opening real websites. Yours takes ten seconds: we load it the way a customer would and say what we find, including when the honest answer is that nothing needs doing.
Start with a
straight answer.
Describe the business and where it works. We come back with what we would change, what it would cost and how long it takes — or with a reason not to bother.