Insights

Google Lighthouse Performance

The Google Lighthouse performance score is a metric that measures the speed and performance of a website. It’s an overall score that ranges from 0 to 100 and is generated based on a number of different performance metrics, such as the time it takes for a website to load, the time it takes for a website to become interactive, the size of the resources used by the website, and other factors that impact the user experience.

A high performance score in Google Lighthouse indicates that a website is fast and responsive, which can lead to a better user experience and improved search engine rankings. On the other hand, a low performance score can indicate that a website is slow and unresponsive, and can negatively impact the user experience.

Mobile Performance
40%
Desktop Performance
79%

Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of specific factors that Google considers important in a webpage’s overall user experience. Core Web Vitals are made up of three specific page speed and user interaction measurements: Largest Contentful PaintFirst Input Delay, and Cumulative Layout Shift.

VitalMobileDesktopTarget
Largest Contentful Paint18.6 s2.7 s< 2.5 s
First Input Delay310 ms80 ms< 100ms
Cumulative Layout Shift00.01 0.1

Tracking scripts

All the tracking scripts on the site generated ~619 KB of data

A tracking script is a code snippet designed to track the flow of visitors who visit a website. Media, advertising, and analytics organisations will provide a script to add to your website that sends data directly to their servers. This data can then be used to measure goals and conversions, analyse user behaviour, and influence advertising campaigns.

Consider how much of this data you actually need and use? How often do you review the analytics data, and does this inform genuine change? Are you actively running social media campaigns? Consider pausing or removing tracking scripts that aren’t being actively used.

googletagmanager.com 4 321 KB
siteimproveanalytics.com 1 10 KB
js.adsrvr.org 3 4 KB
acdn.adnxs.com 1 4 KB
google-analytics.com 17 25 KB
googleads.g.doubleclick.net 2 4 KB
analytics.google.com 2 0 B
stats.g.doubleclick.net 4 2 KB
ib.adnxs.com 1 345 B
google.com 5 3 KB
connect.facebook.net 2 179 KB
snap.licdn.com 1 5 KB
cdn.taboola.com 3 28 KB
amplify.outbrain.com 1 7 KB
trc.taboola.com 1 2 KB
cdn.linkedin.oribi.io 1 468 B
px.ads.linkedin.com 3 3 KB
pips.taboola.com 1 324 B
cds.taboola.com 1 123 B
facebook.com 3 984 B
linkedin.com 1 2 KB
in.hotjar.com 1 407 B
vc.hotjar.io 1 339 B
secure.adnxs.com 1 731 B
tr.outbrain.com 2 419 B
trc-events.taboola.com 2 1 KB
insight.adsrvr.org 2 1 KB
match.adsrvr.org 8 8 KB
dpm.demdex.net 2 2 KB
cm.g.doubleclick.net 2 2 KB
pixel.rubiconproject.com 2 2 KB
ups.analytics.yahoo.com 2 1 KB

Opportunities

Remove autoplaying or preloaded media files

By removing 1 autoplaying or preloaded videos, roughly 5.7 MB could be removed from the page load.

This would reduce the page transfer size by 46% and reduce the pages emissions from 2.89 grams of CO2 to 1.57 grams of CO2.

Autoplaying videos can have a negative impact on the user experience for several reasons:

  1. Increased data usage: Autoplaying videos can consume a lot of data, especially if they are set to play in high definition. This can be a problem for users with limited data plans or slow connections, who may experience slow or interrupted playback.
  2. Annoyance factor: Autoplaying videos can be annoying for users, especially if they are accompanied by sound. This can lead to a negative perception of the website and decreased engagement.
  3. Reduced accessibility: Autoplaying videos can be a problem for users with accessibility needs, such as users who are blind or have hearing difficulties.
  4. Increased page load time: Autoplaying videos can increase the overall page load time, leading to a slower user experience.
  5. Decreased battery life: Autoplaying videos can consume a lot of battery power, especially on mobile devices, leading to reduced battery life.

In order to minimise the impact of autoplaying videos on the user experience, it is recommended to use them sparingly and only when necessary. It is also important to provide users with the option to turn off autoplaying videos and to allow them to control the playback of videos on the page. Additionally, videos should be optimised for performance and should be accompanied by captions or transcripts to improve accessibility.

CQUni-Welcome-Video.mp4 6 MB 46%

Optimise images

By optimising the following images, roughly 5 MB could be removed from the transfer size, about 40%. This would reduce the CO2 generated per page load from 2.89g grams to 1.74 grams.

Images should be optimised for the web for several reasons:

  1. Reduced file size: Optimizing images can result in a smaller file size, which can help to reduce the amount of data that needs to be downloaded. This can lead to faster page load times and improved performance.
  2. Improved user experience: Optimising images can help to improve the overall user experience, as pages with optimised images load faster and are more responsive.
  3. Lower emissions: Optimising images can help to reduce the emissions associated with data transfer, as less data needs to be transmitted over the network.
  4. Better accessibility: Optimising images can make them more accessible to users with slower connections or limited data plans.
fee-free-tafe.jpg 2 MB 14% 2 MB
desktop.png 1 MB 8% 1,024 KB
sarah-reiman.jpg 490 KB 4% 460 KB
george-hannaford.jpg 351 KB 3% 330 KB
leigh-stitz.jpg 331 KB 3% 311 KB
DSC_1470-600px.jpg 259 KB 2% 221 KB
highlight3.png 224 KB 2% 204 KB
we-see-opportunity-video-poster.jpg 216 KB 2% 114 KB
homepage-banner-video-poster.jpg 184 KB 1% 52 KB
naplan-testing-600.jpg 132 KB 1% 114 KB
term-2-applications.jpg 106 KB 1% 96 KB
Andy-Stewart_UniNews.jpg 104 KB 1% 71 KB
international-student-barometer.jpg 101 KB 1% 81 KB
join-the-expertly-paactical.jpg 82 KB 1% 71 KB
iChange-menu-callout.png 73 KB 1% 65 KB
SOM.jpg 60 KB 0% 25 KB
outstanding-graduate-outcomes.jpg 59 KB 0% 46 KB
page-library-cquniversity.jpg 52 KB 0% 42 KB
2023-international-study-guide-megamenu.png 47 KB 0% 39 KB
study-online.jpg 35 KB 0% 21 KB
reconciliation-action-plan.jpg 27 KB 0% 17 KB

Subset large font files

Fonts should be subsetted to reduce the file size, improve performance, and reduce emissions. Subsetting a font involves removing any characters that are not needed for a particular use case, resulting in a smaller file size and faster page load times. Some specific reasons why fonts should be subsetted include:

  1. Reduced file size: Subsetting a font removes any unused characters, which can result in a smaller file size. This can help to reduce the amount of data that needs to be downloaded, leading to faster page load times and lower emissions.
  2. Improved performance: Fonts that are subsetted are faster to load and render than fonts that are not subsetted. This can help to improve the overall performance of a website, leading to a better user experience.

Overall, subsetting fonts is a good practice for anyone looking to optimize the performance and reduce the emissions of a website of a website.

2C53DE_0_0.woff2 ~29 KB ~11 KB

Remove third party font files

Font files should be loaded from the same hosting as the website because

  1. Increased loading time: Third-party sub-resources, such as scripts, fonts, or images, need to be downloaded from a separate server before they can be displayed on the website. This can increase the overall loading time of the page, leading to a slower user experience.
  2. Dependence on external servers: The loading of third-party subresources is dependent on the availability and performance of the external servers that host them. If these servers are slow or unavailable, it can result in slow page loading times or even errors.
  3. Increased risk of security threats: Third-party subresources can introduce security risks to a website, as they can contain malicious code or be used to track user activity.
HostFont
fonts.gstatic.comieVl2ZhZI2eCN5jzbjEETS9weq8-19K7DQk6YvM.woff2

First Contentful Paint

First Contentful Paint (FCP) is a performance metric that measures the time it takes for the first piece of content to be rendered on the screen when a user navigates to a web page. This content can be any visual element on the page, such as text, images, or a background color.

FCP is important because it directly affects the perceived speed of a website, and can impact user engagement and conversion rates. A faster FCP can lead to a better user experience and improved performance.

Here are a few ways you can optimise your FCP:

  1. Optimise images: Large, unoptimised images can slow down a page’s FCP. You can optimise images by compressing them, reducing their dimensions, and choosing the right format for each image.
  2. Minimise HTTP requests: Each resource requested by a web page, such as images, scripts, and stylesheets, requires a separate HTTP request. Minimising the number of HTTP requests can help to reduce the time it takes for a page to render.
  3. Prioritize critical content: Prioritizing critical content, such as above-the-fold content, can help to ensure that users see something on the screen quickly, even if the rest of the page is still loading.
  4. Reduce server response time: A slow server response time can significantly impact FCP. Optimizing server-side code and server settings can help to reduce response times and improve FCP.
  5. Use a performance monitoring tool: There are many tools available that can help you monitor your website’s performance, including FCP. These tools can help you identify performance issues and track your progress as you implement optimizations.
MobileDesktop
Score32%85%
Timing3.6 s1.0 s

Largest Contentful Paint

MobileDesktop
Score0%42%
Timing18.6 s2.7 s

Total Blocking Time

MobileDesktop
Score36%100%
Timing800 ms40 ms

Speed Index

MobileDesktop
Score14%48%
Timing9.1 s2.3 s

Time to Interactive

MobileDesktop
Score16%86%
Timing11.9 s2.7 s

Max Potential First Input Delay

MobileDesktop
Score32%99%
Timing310 ms80 ms

First Meaningful Paint

MobileDesktop
Score44%73%
Timing4.2 s1.2 s

Properly size images

MobileDesktop
Score100%97%
InsightPotential savings of 5 KiBPotential savings of 8 KiB

Minify JavaScript

MobileDesktop
Score58%83%
InsightPotential savings of 90 KiBPotential savings of 90 KiB

Reduce unused CSS

MobileDesktop
Score88%100%
InsightPotential savings of 23 KiB

Reduce unused JavaScript

MobileDesktop
Score27%63%
InsightPotential savings of 441 KiBPotential savings of 439 KiB

Efficiently encode images

MobileDesktop
Score0%27%
InsightPotential savings of 3,004 KiBPotential savings of 3,310 KiB

Serve images in next-gen formats

MobileDesktop
Score0%9%
InsightPotential savings of 4,686 KiBPotential savings of 5,126 KiB

Reduce initial server response time

MobileDesktop
GradeFailFail
InsightRoot document took 1,210 msRoot document took 1,180 ms

Avoid serving legacy JavaScript to modern browsers

MobileDesktop
Score100%93%
InsightPotential savings of 21 KiBPotential savings of 21 KiB

Avoid enormous network payloads

MobileDesktop
Score0%0%
InsightTotal size was 12,341 KiBTotal size was 12,918 KiB

Serve static assets with an efficient cache policy

MobileDesktop
Score2%2%
Insight64 resources found69 resources found

Avoid an excessive DOM size

MobileDesktop
Score39%39%
Insight1,561 elements1,561 elements

JavaScript execution time

MobileDesktop
Score67%99%
Timing2.5 s0.5 s

Minimizes main-thread work

MobileDesktop
Score33%97%
Timing5.0 s1.4 s

Ensure text remains visible during webfont load

MobileDesktop
GradeFailFail

Minimize third-party usage

MobileDesktop
GradeFailPass
InsightThird-party code blocked the main thread for 810 msThird-party code blocked the main thread for 20 ms

Does not use passive listeners to improve scrolling performance

MobileDesktop
GradeFailFail

Image elements do not have explicit width and height

MobileDesktop
GradeFailFail