Optimize page speed and core web vitals — how to reach a Lighthouse score of 100

Are you chasing green scores in the Core Web Vitals? Is your Lighthouse score still far from 100? Here is the shortcut.

Page speed optimization sounds simple, but it is often an opaque labyrinth: countless recommendations, conflicting test results, and limited developer resources. We help you avoid getting lost and instead optimize exactly what truly delivers impact.

We ensure that slow load times become a thing of the past and that your website can realize its full conversion and revenue potential.

Page speed as a revenue lever: why load time is critical for your business

Fast websites perform better — measurably better. Even a few seconds can decide between a purchase and a bounce: a single additional second of load time can reduce conversion rates by up to 20%. This is clearly shown by a Google study: speed is not a nice-to-have, but a revenue driver. Users are impatient — and so is Google. Page speed and core web vitals are official ranking factors. That means slow pages are not only rated worse than competitors, they can also slow down Google’s crawling. If your pages take too long to load or consume unnecessary resources, Google may only crawl a fraction of them. At the same time, users abandon faster when searching, filtering, or loading product lists takes too long. Particularly critical: if the checkout process is not performant, many users simply abandon the purchase.

Page speed is not just a technical detail — it is critical to your revenue.

The most important metrics for measuring page speed

Note: These benchmark values serve as general guidance. They must always be evaluated in the context of your website.

A simple landing page with some text and images naturally achieves better scores — and with far less effort than a complex online store with dynamic filters or interactive elements that rely on JavaScript.

What is the difference between page speed and core web vitals?

While page speed primarily deals with the loading speed of a website, the core web vitals explicitly focus on the perceived user experience.

Improving load speed does not automatically lead to a better user experience — and vice versa. Core web vitals and page speed complement each other but measure different aspects. It is technically possible to optimize page speed without noticeably improving user experience.

The core web vitals — LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), INP (Interaction to Next Paint), and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) — are much closer to real user perception and are difficult to “game.” However, you should not rely exclusively on these three metrics. Traditional load time indicators such as time to first byte (TTFB) or start render also provide important signals and influence the core web vitals themselves.

Page Speed Audit — a comprehensive deep dive

Unlike a comprehensive technical SEO Audit, we focus here exclusively on all performance-related aspects of your website. Our page speed audit provides you with a solid analysis — a well-founded snapshot of the current state — from both the perspective of search engines and users. The assessment is based on a multi-stage process that combines technical depth with practical recommendations.

Together with you, we define the relevant page types and test conditions before the audit starts — ensuring that the needs of your target audience and business goals are directly reflected in the analysis.

Why should different templates be tested?

Websites often consist of different templates (e.g., for landing pages, product pages, or blog posts). These can vary significantly in terms of the type and amount of content (text, images, interactive elements, JavaScript, etc.). Only by testing different page types can all relevant optimization opportunities be reliably identified.

Why should measurements be taken under different conditions?

Page load speed depends on many factors, including the user’s internet connection and the device types used. To get a realistic picture of actual load times, different conditions must be taken into account:

• Mobile vs. desktop: Mobile users often have poorer network connections than desktop users, which affects load times. Performance should therefore also be tested on smartphones and tablets.
• Different browsers: Different browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) render pages differently, which can affect load times. Testing across multiple browsers is necessary to ensure the best possible performance.
• Geographic differences: Users in different regions often experience different load times, especially if your website is not delivered via a global CDN and page speed is influenced by the physical location of the server. Testing under different geographic conditions is therefore critical.
• First-time vs. returning visitors: Load times for the first page view are often significantly longer when no or insufficient cache directives are set. Returning visitors benefit greatly from optimized caching. That is why “repeat view” performance should always be considered as well.

Lab data vs. field data

When evaluating metrics, it is always important to consider the conditions under which they were measured.

Do you need expert guidance for implementing the measures?

You have already identified the causes of your poor page speed scores, but do not know the most efficient way to move into execution? Are you missing clear prioritization of your to-dos?

In this case, we provide strategic sparring and expert mentoring. We help you tackle the right measures quickly and effectively. This includes, among other things:

• Ticket prioritization: We show you how to identify the most important performance issues and work through them pragmatically in the right order.
• Efficient communication with development teams: We help you formulate technical measures clearly and collaborate effectively with your developers so the relevance of the topics is properly conveyed.
• Tailored optimization advice: From simple quick wins to more complex measures — we share proven tips that noticeably improve your website’s performance.

What we stand for. And what you can rely on.

This is what a project with ONE Beyond Search looks like

Fill out the contact form	Free initial consultation	Offer and project start	Project progress and reporting
A brief and concise description of your request will help us to process it quickly and efficiently. We will contact you within 48 hours to arrange an appointment for an initial consultation. Skip to Contact Form	We get to know each other during the initial consultation. We clarify your current situation and the goals you want to achieve. We then agree on the appropriate service packages and framework conditions in order to create a tailor-made offer.	We begin our collaboration once the offer has been signed. To get started, we organize a kick-off meeting with all relevant stakeholders to clarify any open questions, refine objectives, and begin implementation immediately.	We will keep you regularly informed about progress, provide reports, and discuss the results. Regular feedback and review sessions are planned for ongoing projects in order to continuously improve our collaboration.

Frequently asked questions

Do I rank better if my core web vitals are green?

A green status for the core web vitals (LCP, FID, CLS) is a strong signal of a technically sound website and a good user experience. Google uses the core web vitals as a ranking factor — pages with better values can therefore be favored in rankings.

However, it is important to note that the core web vitals are only one part of the overall spectrum of ranking factors and signals. Even perfect scores do not guarantee top positions if other SEO areas are neglected. To compete at the top of Google, the entire package must be optimized — content, technology, structure, and more.

How long does it take to improve my website’s performance?

The duration depends on the complexity of your website and the issues identified. A basic page speed audit and the implementation of the most important optimizations can often be completed within a few days to two weeks. More complex sites may require more time and ongoing optimization.

Important: if page speed is not consistently integrated into the development process, good scores will not be sustained in the long run. New features, additional components, or A/B testing tools can quickly erode hard-earned improvements.

Can I improve my load times without technical know-how?

Partially. Smaller optimizations, such as reducing image sizes or enabling caching, can sometimes be done directly in the CMS settings. For deeper technical adjustments and sustainable improvements to load times and core web vitals, support from experienced developers is usually required.

Is there anything else we can do for you?