Core Web Vitals Optimization

The Challenge

Our client, a national healthcare provider, was facing significant challenges with their location service pages. These pages are critical for patients looking to find and book appointments at nearby facilities. However, the pages were slow to load, especially on mobile devices, leading to high bounce rates and lost appointments.

• Mobile performance score: 70 (out of 100) in Google's Lighthouse.
• Inconsistent user experience across location pages.
• Manual processes limiting scalability and personalization.
• High bounce rates on mobile devices.
• Revenue potential through optimized patient experiences.

Our Approach

We implemented a comprehensive optimization strategy that combined technical improvements with automated processes:

1. Comprehensive Audit

   • Conducted in-depth performance analysis using Lighthouse, WebPageTest, and Google Search Console
   • Identified key bottlenecks affecting load times
   • Established performance benchmarks

2. Technical Optimizations

   • Implemented code-splitting to reduce initial load time
   • Optimized and served images in next-gen formats (WebP/AVIF)
   • Removed render-blocking resources
   • Implemented efficient caching strategies
   • Optimized CSS and JavaScript delivery
   • Deployed hybrid rendering strategy: SSR for critical above-the-fold content, ISR for location-specific data
   • Integrated shadcn/ui components for consistent, performant UI patterns

3. Advanced Rendering Strategy

   • Server-Side Rendering (SSR) for immediate content visibility and SEO optimization
   • Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) for location pages with 1-hour revalidation
   • Static Generation for common components and layouts
   • Client-side hydration optimized to avoid layout shifts

4. Automated Deployment Pipeline

   • Created build-time optimizations for location-specific pages
   • Automated image optimization and resizing
   • Implemented ISR with smart revalidation for dynamic location data
   • SSR fallback strategy for real-time appointment availability
   • Set up performance monitoring and alerts
   • CI/CD integration with Lighthouse CI for automated performance testing

The Results

Performance Improvements

• Mobile performance score improved from 70 to 100
• Page load time reduced from 4.2s to 1.8s
• Time to Interactive (TTI) improved from 5.1s to 2.3s
• Core Web Vitals now all in the "Good" range

Business Impact

• 22% increase in conversions
• 300% improvement in developer productivity
• 80% reduction in manual optimization effort
• Improved search rankings due to better Core Web Vitals

Technical Achievements

• Hybrid rendering architecture: ISR + SSR for optimal performance and freshness
• shadcn/ui integration: Consistent, accessible component library reducing bundle size
• Automated optimization pipeline for all location pages
• Consistent performance across all pages
• Smart caching strategy: Static content cached at CDN, dynamic data via ISR
• Scalable architecture that adapts to new locations
• Comprehensive monitoring and alerting
• Zero-downtime deployments with incremental updates

Partner Testimonial

"Of all businesses we've collaborated with, engineering has been the bottleneck. Not with your team. Achieving a performance score of 100% on mobile is a rarity and should be celebrated."

Partner Vendor
Director of Digital Experience
National Healthcare Provider

Technologies Used

• Next.js 14 with App Router
• Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) for dynamic content
• Server-Side Rendering (SSR) for critical pages
• shadcn/ui component library for consistent UI patterns
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Lighthouse CI for automated performance testing
• WebPageTest for real-world performance monitoring
• Vercel for optimized hosting and edge functions
• TypeScript for type-safe development

Lessons Learned

1. Performance is a Feature - Treating performance as a first-class citizen in the development process leads to better user experiences and business outcomes.
2. Hybrid Rendering Strategy - Combining ISR and SSR provides the best of both worlds: fast initial loads with fresh content when needed.
3. Component Libraries Matter - shadcn/ui provided consistent, performant components that reduced development time and bundle size.
4. Automation is Key - Manual optimizations don't scale. Building automated pipelines ensures consistent performance across all pages.
5. Mobile-First Matters - With the majority of healthcare searches happening on mobile, optimizing for mobile performance delivers the highest impact.
6. Continuous Monitoring - Performance optimization isn't a one-time task. Continuous monitoring helps catch regressions before they impact users.

Next Steps

1. Expand performance optimizations to other sections of the website
2. Implement A/B testing to measure the impact of further optimizations
3. Explore opportunities for edge computing to further reduce latency
4. Develop a performance budget to maintain gains over time

This case study demonstrates how focusing on Core Web Vitals can deliver both technical improvements and significant business impact, particularly in the healthcare sector where accessibility and user experience are paramount.