How to Build Performant, User-First Websites

Building a great website isn’t just about how it looks—it’s about how it feels. Fast. Clear. Effortless to use.

Users don’t care what framework you used. They don’t care about your Lighthouse score or which JavaScript bundler is trending on dev Twitter. What they do care about is whether the site loads quickly, works properly on their phone, and doesn’t make them think.

The web has matured. Expectations are higher. Attention spans are shorter. Whether you’re building a brand site, a product dashboard, or a blog, your site has to perform—in speed, in usability, and in the experience it creates from the first click to the last.

Performance Isn’t Optional — It’s the First Impression
Before your design loads, before your copy has a chance to speak—your performance speaks first. And right now, users are less forgiving than ever.

Every second counts. Not just in load time, but in perceived speed. How fast does your site feel? Does the interface respond instantly, or does it stutter on scroll? Is the user waiting, guessing, or flowing?

Core Web Vitals Still Matter (But in a Real-World Way)

Google’s still pushing Core Web Vitals—but now they’re measuring them based on actual user data (not lab tests). That means:

• INP (Interaction to Next Paint) has replaced FID as the key responsiveness metric.
• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) shows if your main content loads quickly enough.
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) reveals if your layout jumps around annoyingly.

You don’t have to obsess over scoring 100—but if your INP is spiking or your CLS is broken, users will feel it.

I’ve broken down each of these metrics, what’s actually changed, and how I improve them in my guide to Core Web Vitals

Your Stack Is Only Fast If It’s Set Up Right

Modern hosting stacks like Vercel, Netlify, Cloudways, and Fly.io give you the tools for speed—but they don’t guarantee anything. You still need:

• Proper caching rules
• Smart image handling (WebP/AVIF, srcset, lazy loading)
• Font loading strategies that avoid invisible text or flickers
• Edge delivery where it matters (e.g. serving HTML from close to the user)

Even on WordPress, platforms like Kinsta, SpinupWP, or a well-configured VPS with FastCGI caching can perform beautifully—if you build with speed in mind from the start.

Perceived Performance > Pure Speed

What really matters is how it feels:

• Do elements appear in the right order (skeleton loading, content-first)?
• Are buttons tappable instantly, even if data’s still loading?
• Is navigation seamless, or does it blank the screen?

Performance is psychological. Your job is to make the site feel responsive, even when there’s complexity underneath.

I go deeper into this in Talking About Website Performance Metrics, including how to measure what users actually experience—not just what lab tests say.

Design for Users, Not Just Clients

Good design isn’t just what looks nice in a Figma file—it’s what helps people get what they came for, without getting lost, stuck, or frustrated.

We’ve moved past the era of “just make it pretty.” The sites that perform today are built around clarity, flow, and empathy. It’s about how the interface feels to use, not how slick it looks in a portfolio.

Mobile-First = User-First (Not Just Smaller Screens)

“Mobile-first” used to mean designing for small screens. Now, it means prioritizing what users actually need, in the order they need it, with no friction.

• Clear CTAs that are reachable with a thumb
• Content that loads quickly and scrolls naturally
• Navigation that’s not buried in three layers of icons

Designing for mobile is designing for focus—and that benefits every device.

Cognitive Load, Clarity, and Flow

Every extra decision a user has to make is a chance for them to bounce.

• Use consistent patterns and spacing—they shouldn’t have to relearn your UI.
• Limit choices where possible—give them just enough to move forward.
• Design for flow, not surprise. Delight doesn’t come from novelty. It comes from confidence.

When users know what to do, they feel smart. That’s good UX.

Aesthetic UX Still Matters

Visual hierarchy, typography, whitespace, color contrast—all the “surface layer” stuff still plays a big role in how usable a site feels.

Good spacing makes reading easier. Good contrast improves accessibility. Clean hierarchy helps users scan quickly and find what they need.

It’s not about minimalism—it’s about intention. Every design choice should have a purpose. If it’s not helping the user, it’s just noise.

Build Like a Product, Not a Brochure

Most sites are still built like static brochures: a few hard-coded pages, some text dropped into a CMS, and no real thought given to how they’ll evolve. That approach doesn’t work anymore—especially if your site is expected to scale, adapt, or actually do something useful.

Even “simple” sites need to behave like products. They need to be modular, flexible, and built around real use cases.

Component-Driven Development Is the Baseline

Reusable, self-contained components aren’t just for apps—they’re how modern websites stay consistent, scalable, and fast to update.

Whether you’re using React, Vue, or just Blade components in Sage, the principle is the same:

• Break pages into meaningful chunks (cards, CTAs, feature blocks)
• Give each component a clear purpose and flexible props
• Think in systems, not pages

This makes design updates easier, keeps code cleaner, and stops every small change from becoming a giant mess.

Accessible by Default

Accessibility isn’t a checklist—it’s a foundation. You build it in from the start or you pay for it later.

• Use semantic HTML: buttons should be <button>, not <div>
• Respect tab order and focus states
• Never rely on color alone to convey meaning
• Test with a keyboard and a screen reader, even if just once

You’re not just building for edge cases—you’re building for real people. Some of them use assistive tech. All of them benefit from clarity.

Progressive Enhancement > Graceful Degradation

Too many sites rely completely on JavaScript to render or function. If that JS breaks—or if the user is on a slow device—you’ve got nothing.

Instead, aim to:

• Deliver meaningful HTML first
• Add interactivity on top, not as a dependency
• Keep things usable even if the JS fails (forms, links, core content)

The modern frontend stack is powerful, but power should come with a fallback. Build smart, not just flashy.

UX Testing Without a Research Team

You don’t need a dedicated research department or enterprise toolset to test UX. In 2025, the best builders are testing as they go—watching how real people interact with their sites and using that data to shape better experiences.

If you’re not testing, you’re guessing. And guessing is expensive.

Heatmaps and Session Replays

Tools like Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, and Plausible Replay let you:

• See where users click (or don’t)
• Watch real sessions to understand confusion points
• Spot patterns—rage clicks, dead zones, missed CTAs

These tools are lightweight, GDPR-aware, and give you far more than analytics dashboards ever will.

A/B Test Small, Not Just Big

You don’t need to test entire redesigns. Try testing:

• Button labels (e.g. “Book a Call” vs “Get Started”)
• CTA placement (top, mid, bottom)
• Page length and section order

With tools like Splitbee, PostHog, or Cloudflare Experiments, you can run lean tests without heavy scripts or overhead.

Get Feedback From Humans (Not Just Data)

Sometimes the fastest way to improve UX is just asking:

• Run short surveys (via Typeform or even email)
• Offer usability tests to your network: “Try this site, tell me where you get stuck”
• Watch someone unfamiliar use your site and don’t say a word

You’ll learn more in 10 minutes of watching than in 10 hours of guesswork.

Architecting for Humans Behind the Scenes

A user-first website doesn’t stop at the frontend. The people editing content, managing pages, and updating products matter too. If your backend is a mess, they’ll either break it—or worse, avoid using it altogether.

Building user-first means thinking about the humans behind the screen, not just in front of it.

Your CMS Shouldn’t Feel Like a Trap

Whether it’s WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, or something headless, the core principle is the same:
No one should have to fight the CMS.

• Clean field groups, clear labels, logical structures
• Limit access to what’s necessary—avoid overwhelming editors with raw config
• Use flexible components, but with guardrails (not a blank canvas)

The CMS is part of the UX—it just happens behind the curtain.

Developer Ergonomics = Site Longevity

Messy code doesn’t just slow down builds—it leads to abandoned features, broken components, and stale updates. Instead:

• Use modern tooling with clear conventions (e.g. Blade + ACF, Inertia + Vue, or Astro)
• Write code that’s readable without a Rosetta Stone
• Document just enough so the next dev (or future you) knows where to look

When a site is easy to maintain, it’s easier to evolve. That keeps it useful longer.

Smart Defaults, Safe Fallbacks

• Default to sensible settings and safe content states
• Use fallback images, loading states, and error messages that help—not confuse
• Anticipate what can go wrong and design for resilience, not perfection

A robust site isn’t one that never fails—it’s one that fails gracefully.

The SEO + UX Overlap Zone

SEO isn’t about keywords and backlinks—it’s about trust and usability. Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and Helpful Content updates have made it clear:
If your site isn’t built for people, it won’t rank for them either.

The good news? UX and SEO now speak the same language.

Crawlability Is the Foundation—But It’s Not Enough

• Make sure your site has a clean, logical structure
• Use semantic HTML (real headings, real links, proper tags)
• Avoid overloading pages with unnecessary JavaScript or SPA complexity unless SEO is accounted for

If Googlebot can’t understand your content, your users probably can’t either.

EEAT Isn’t Just Content—It’s Experience

Google looks for:

• Clear authorship (especially on blogs or advice)
• Consistent branding and navigation
• Trust signals like HTTPS, privacy policies, and contact pages

But it also picks up UX signals:

• How quickly users bounce
• How long they stay
• Whether they interact, scroll, and return

Build a site that feels legitimate, easy to trust, and genuinely helpful—and your rankings will follow.

UX = Discoverability + Engagement

• Good page speed gets users in the door
• Clear copy and hierarchy helps them find what they need
• Smart internal linking keeps them moving through the funnel

SEO and UX aren’t two different departments anymore. They’re two sides of the same experience.

---

Frequently Asked Questions