Why Does the Performance Audit Take So Long?

In comparison to other audits (accessibility, SEO, and quality), performance checks take a bit longer to complete. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the 5 main reasons why this process requires more time and detail.

Network and Device Throttling

To provide meaningful insights, WebYes replicates slower 3G networks and underpowered devices by throttling. This helps to reflect how your website will perform for users on older or slower devices, but the process takes more time.

No Cache Used (First-Time Visitor Simulation)

WebYes audits are conducted without cache, meaning it simulates a first-time visitor experience. This process replicates how new visitors load your website without preloaded assets, leading to longer load times during the audit.

Complexity of the Web Page

Websites with large images, extensive JavaScript, CSS, or dynamic content naturally take longer to load and analyse. WebYes audits every element of your page, and if your website has large, unoptimised assets, the audit will take more time to process everything thoroughly.

Headless Chrome

The audit is executed in a headless version of Chrome, and interacting with this environment can sometimes introduce additional delays. Depending on the system load, it may consume more CPU or memory resources, affecting speed.

Resource-Intensive Audit

WebYes throttles both the CPU and network connection during the performance audit to simulate real-world conditions like slower devices and network speeds. This ensures more accurate results but naturally extends the testing duration.