People do not wait for a brand story. If the homepage is slow, they bounce before the offer appears. Speed is not only an engineering topic — it is part of the first impression.
1. Shrink the hero media
A full-width video or a multi-megabyte photograph is the usual culprit. Use a compressed image, or no image at all if type can carry the message. 8om's public pages lead with type and a light graphic for this reason.
2. Load one font family
Two display fonts plus icons plus a third for buttons adds round trips. Pick one family with a few weights. Display text can still look distinct through size and weight.
3. Stop stacking popups
Chat, cookie banners, and a newsletter modal on first paint fight the user. Show chat after the first scroll. Keep the cookie bar small.
4. Cache the public shell
Marketing HTML should not query the database on every visit for the same nav and footer. Cache HTML or fragments where the content is public and slow to change.
5. Measure a phone, not your laptop
Test on a mid-range Android over 4G. If the hero is readable in two seconds, you are in a better place than most local-business sites.
When you use 8om tools, generate QR codes and files only when asked — do not preload every widget on the homepage.