PerfReviews Insights

What each test does, why it matters, and how to use the product

Product documentation

Documentation for PerfReviews Insights and Simple mode tests.

This section explains how the product works and what each automated test is trying to tell you. It follows the same spirit as WebPerf Snippets documentation, but translated into the user-facing workflow of PerfReviews Insights.

Public roadmap

PerfReviews Insights is actively evolving.

We publish a simplified roadmap here to show what is already live, what we are actively moving toward next, and which deeper diagnostics are planned for later. It is intended as a product signal, not as a fixed release schedule.

Live
Live
Already available in the product and actively shaping Simple mode and Advanced mode.
  • CLS to catch unstable layouts during load
  • Render-blocking resources to explain blank-screen delays
  • Above-the-fold lazy image detection for LCP-heavy pages
  • Expanded Simple mode catalog with visible loading and media checks
Next
Next
The next improvements focused on faster diagnosis and a stronger Pro workflow.
  • FCP to complete the early-loading picture alongside TTFB and LCP
  • Priority Hints Audit for critical-image and critical-resource ordering
  • Resource Hints Validation to surface preload, preconnect, and prefetch gaps
Planned
Planned
Deeper diagnostics we want to expose as the product matures.
  • INP and interaction debugging for responsiveness issues
  • Long tasks and long animation frames for main-thread bottlenecks
  • Advanced diagnostics such as critical CSS, hydration payloads, and bfcache readiness

Simple mode test catalog

Simple mode currently runs nine automated checks. Each page below explains what the test measures, why it matters, what you learn from the result, and which fixes are commonly relevant.

CLS
Core Web Vitals
Measures Cumulative Layout Shift, the score that captures unexpected visual movement while the page loads.

A page that jumps around feels broken even when it loads quickly. CLS is a Core Web Vital and is often harmed by images without dimensions, injected UI, unstable embeds, or late-loading fonts.

Read test guide
Loading Timings
Core Web Vitals
Measures TTFB, FCP, and LCP from a single page load so the three metrics are consistent with each other and reflect the same network conditions.

TTFB, FCP, and LCP form a sequential chain — each one cannot be faster than the previous. Measuring them together in one load makes the numbers comparable and reveals where in that chain the slowdown actually sits.

Read test guide
Render-Blocking Resources
Loading
Detects CSS and scripts that block the first paint and keep users looking at a blank page longer than necessary.

Even when the server responds quickly, render-blocking files can delay the moment users see anything useful. This directly hurts FCP and often LCP too.

Read test guide
Lazy Images Above Fold
Loading
Checks whether visible images are lazy loaded even though users need them immediately.

Lazy loading is useful below the fold, but it is harmful when applied to hero images or other visible content. This usually delays LCP and makes the page feel slower than it should.

Read test guide
Images
Media
Audits images on the page to detect outdated formats, missing dimensions, incorrect lazy loading, and problems affecting the most important visual content.

Images are often the heaviest resource type on a page and they frequently decide whether the page feels fast or sluggish. A badly loaded hero image can hurt LCP, while missing dimensions can trigger layout shifts.

Read test guide
Videos
Media
Checks videos for poster images, preload strategy, autoplay behavior, and support for efficient formats such as WebM.

Video is one of the easiest ways to accidentally overload a page. Poor preload behavior, missing posters, or heavy media files can delay visible content and waste bandwidth before the user interacts.

Read test guide
Page Weight
Resources
Measures the total downloaded weight of the page and breaks it down by resource type, helping identify which assets consume the most bytes.

Heavy pages are slower to download, parse, and render, especially on mobile networks. Page weight often reveals whether JavaScript bundles, images, fonts, or third-party requests are dominating the experience.

Read test guide
External Scripts
Loading
Lists JavaScript loaded from third parties such as analytics, chat widgets, tags, or ad platforms, and highlights their weight and blocking behavior.

Third-party scripts are code you do not control, but they still compete for bandwidth, execution time, and CPU. A single badly loaded script can delay rendering or interaction for the entire page.

Read test guide
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