How a Fortune 500 company created an impact with our web audit

Identifying issues in web performance

To improve the quality of our customer's German website, Wunderdog started by assessing the performance with Open Source tool Lighthouse. 

Our analysis showed especially poor mobile site performance, with relatively low scores in key areas such as content loading times, unresponsiveness and interactiveness of the site, and runtime and memory performance.

As search engines favor high-performing websites, poor website performance affects the company’s SEO scores, making it harder for potential customers to find the website. Slow loading times on the other hand cause higher bounce rates, especially for mobile users with slower internet connections like 3G. In Germany, where 45% of web traffic comes from mobile devices, this was a significant problem, also resulting in lost business opportunities.

The causes of poor web performance

Why were these pages performing so poorly? During our audit, we identified several causes that were all affecting the website’s load times, and thus the overall user experience:

• The code base was unoptimized and inconsistent, lacking standards and including unnecessary code and redundant frameworks

• Imagery was unoptimized

• Above-the-fold content that users see first was not prioritized, with loading delayed by other content

The benefits of optimal web performance

In Wunderdog’s extensive report, detailing the causes for poor performance and how to fix them including complexity and priority, the initial recommendation was to tackle the low-hanging fruits first, i.e. issues with low complexity and high priority. This way, the customer would gain quick wins and be able to improve web performance fast. 

Given the size and complexity of the code base, we consulted with the customer to determine if it was more practical to maintain the existing code or start anew. Our recommendation was to begin by developing a minimum viable product (MVP) with the latest technology and industry best practices, comparing its performance with the existing website, and using that as a basis for further decision-making.

Future-proofing your performance

Wunderdog’s Web Audits help customers like this Fortune 500 company identify and resolve critical issues with their website performance. However, web performance optimization is a continuous effort. That is why we also suggest implementing certain measures to regularly monitor performance.

Addressing small issues proactively, and staying current with the latest tools, techniques, and industry standards helps future-proof website performance and ensure a seamless user experience for visitors.

Read more about how to create impact with a Web Audit led by Wunderdog professionals: