Eliminating render-blocking CSS in PageSpeed - one stylesheet at a time

Question

Eliminating render-blocking CSS in PageSpeed - one stylesheet at a time

Currently, I am testing the best optimization practices for front-end development. As part of this process, I have utilized gulp and npm to merge and minify my CSS and JS files into a single all.min.css and js.min.css file.

Upon analyzing my website using Google PageSpeed, I received a warning regarding "Eliminate render-blocking JavaScript and CSS in above-the-fold content." To address this issue, I added the "async" attribute to my JavaScript script as follows:

<script async src="/dist/js/all.min.js"></script>

This modification seems to be working fine for my JavaScript file, but I am unsure how to handle the .css file. The current code for including the CSS file is:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="/dist/css/all.min.css">

The all.min.css file consists of various libraries such as bootstrap, font-awesome, some small libraries, and my style.css, totaling 33kb. Is it considered good practice to include such a large CSS file directly in the HTML source? Have I overlooked something in my approach? My goal is to achieve a score of at least 100 points on PageSpeed Insights without resorting to impractical or inefficient solutions.

html css npm gulp pagespeed

Answer 1

Answer №1

The Google PageSpeed tool provides general recommendations rather than exact speed measurements. Therefore, it's not necessary to worry if you don't achieve a perfect score of 100.

To optimize the delivery of your CSS and avoid blocking above-the-fold rendering, consider these steps:

Include essential styles for above-the-fold content as inline styles in the HTML head. For instance:

<style>
    #header {
        // ...
    }
    #menu {
        // ...
    }
    .main-banner {
        //
    }
</style>

Load the remaining styles (combined and minimized into one file) asynchronously using deferred or async JavaScript before the closing body tag. Here's an example:

<script>
    var deferredStyles = document.createElement("link");
    deferredStyles.rel = "stylesheet";
    deferredStyles.href = "/assets/css/styles.min.css";
    document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(deferredStyles);
</script>

Answer 2

The Google PageSpeed tool provides general recommendations rather than exact speed measurements. Therefore, it's not necessary to worry if you don't achieve a perfect score of 100.

To optimize the delivery of your CSS and avoid blocking above-the-fold rendering, consider these steps:

Include essential styles for above-the-fold content as inline styles in the HTML head. For instance:

<style>
    #header {
        // ...
    }
    #menu {
        // ...
    }
    .main-banner {
        //
    }
</style>

Load the remaining styles (combined and minimized into one file) asynchronously using deferred or async JavaScript before the closing body tag. Here's an example:

<script>
    var deferredStyles = document.createElement("link");
    deferredStyles.rel = "stylesheet";
    deferredStyles.href = "/assets/css/styles.min.css";
    document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(deferredStyles);
</script>

Answer 3

Answer №2

To ensure proper loading of your webpage, consider moving the CSS file to the bottom of your page so that the HTML content loads first.

However, keep in mind that this adjustment may lead to a brief flash of unstyled content.

A flash of unstyled content (FOUC), also known as a flash of unstyled text or FOUT, occurs when a web page briefly displays with default browser styles before an external CSS stylesheet is fully loaded. This is because the web browser engine renders the page before retrieving all necessary information.

Source

Answer 4

To ensure proper loading of your webpage, consider moving the CSS file to the bottom of your page so that the HTML content loads first.

However, keep in mind that this adjustment may lead to a brief flash of unstyled content.

A flash of unstyled content (FOUC), also known as a flash of unstyled text or FOUT, occurs when a web page briefly displays with default browser styles before an external CSS stylesheet is fully loaded. This is because the web browser engine renders the page before retrieving all necessary information.

Source

Answer 5

Answer №3

You have included the

<link rel="stylesheet" href="/dist/css/all.min.css">

inside your <header> tag on your website. This is a common practice but Pagespeed Insights recommends moving it to below-the-fold, such as in your footer, to improve loading speed. Make sure it is placed after the initial content that loads without scrolling.

Answer 6

You have included the

<link rel="stylesheet" href="/dist/css/all.min.css">

inside your <header> tag on your website. This is a common practice but Pagespeed Insights recommends moving it to below-the-fold, such as in your footer, to improve loading speed. Make sure it is placed after the initial content that loads without scrolling.

Eliminating render-blocking CSS in PageSpeed - one stylesheet at a time

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

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