<p>Performance isn't a feature you add at the end — it's a budget you spend down with every script and font you bring aboard. Set the budget first and the decisions get easy.</p><h2>Set numbers you can defend</h2><ul><li><strong>LCP</strong> under 2.5s — the hero image or headline should appear fast.</li><li><strong>CLS</strong> under 0.1 — nothing should jump as the page loads.</li><li><strong>Total JS</strong> under ~150KB on the critical path.</li></ul><h2>Where the weight hides</h2><p>For most small sites the budget is blown by two things: oversized images and unused JavaScript. Fix those and you've fixed 80% of the problem.</p><h3>Images</h3><p>Serve modern formats, size them to the layout, and let the framework lazy-load anything below the fold. A 1600px hero shipped as a 4000px JPEG is the most common <em>self-inflicted</em> slowdown there is.</p><blockquote><p>Fast feels like quality. Slow feels like risk.</p></blockquote>