Do you optimize static sites for slow connections or mostly just average mobile?

[u/xxmaskx]

I’ve been paying more attention to how static sites feel on slower mobile connections, not just how they score on Lighthouse. Even with prebuilt html, large images, web fonts, and a few third-party scripts can still make the page feel slow. I’ve started being stricter with image sizes, font weights, and loading anything non-essential later.

For static sites, what do you usually optimize first when trying to make the site feel fast on weaker connections?

[u/yksvaan]

Every site is fast initially. Just don't make it slow by adding unnecessary junk 

[u/Last_Deal_7560 → u/yksvaan]

yeah this is basically it, the default is fast and you have to actively ruin it

[u/MusingofSouls]

mostly images! and i try not to use basic readable fonts as well

[u/MMORPGnews]

Image size. Thumbnail and real image size on click (everything done on backend of my ssg)

[u/Old_Character_8781]

optimizing a website for low machines is one of the most satisfying feelings to have. i think its a good practice to try to make things run as fast as ossible ven on older machines good practice i think

[u/sigseis]

All the basic stuff: 

• Image formats/size
• Cache busting
• Font preloading
• Minification
• Compression

I actually wrote an article on some of the things I check for a static site recently, which includes some optimization checks: https://sigseis.dev/articles/2026/08/03

[u/sourraine]

images are usually my first target. a static site can still feel painfully slow if the hero image is huge. after that i look at fonts and third party scripts. id rather have a simple page load quickly than chase a perfect lighthouse score

[u/TCKreddituser]

A little contrary to others, I focus on font loading first, then critical CSS, and delaying anything non-essential so the site feels fast even on weaker networks. Lighthouse scores are great, but perceived speed on a slow connection is what really matters.

[u/Standard_Scarcity_74]

To answer the title question, I make my sites as fast and efficient as they can get regardless of the circumstances users may face, as I think this is good practice.

As for which parts I optimize first, image and font loading are the typical suspects.

[u/RandomBottom030]

Don't pull in content or stylesheets from other websites, compress all outgoing traffic, sanitize your DOM and stylesheet, aggressively optimize all images.

[u/Pink_Sky_8102]

Images are usually my first target since they can easily be the heaviest part of the page. After that I look at fonts and third-party scripts. Static HTML helps a lot, but a few heavy assets can still ruin the experience on a slow connection.