Our Website was Already Fast. We Rebuilt it Anyway.

We recently migrated our website to a new framework. Our PageSpeed scores? Still nearly perfect. Load times? Still lightning-fast.

So... why bother? 

Because in SEO, standing still can quickly turn to falling behind. If we're going to advise clients on technical performance, we need to be testing and learning ourselves. This is what "walking the walk" actually looks like.

We've always been fans of fully-static websites with no down-time, no hacks, and instant page loads.

Back in 2022, we went headless, keeping our CraftCMS backend and pairing it with NextJS for the frontend. That setup was great, but even in just three years, technology has evolved. Over the past couple of months, we've migrated that frontend from NextJS to Astro.

NextJS is excellent for complex web applications with lots of dynamic features. But our site is predominantly content. We don't need a full framework; we need something purpose-built for fast, content-focused sites with blog posts, case studies, and service pages.

We needed a framework that prioritised performance and simplicity for our specific use case. Astro fits that brief. It's static-first, generates the entire site as pre-built HTML, and strips away unnecessary complexity. Think of it as using the right tool for the job, not just the most popular one.

There's also a learning component here. We wanted hands-on experience with modern frameworks so we can better evaluate what's right for client projects. Can't recommend what you haven't used!

Our priority was maximum performance with minimal overhead. The framework we chose delivers that by:

• Generating responsive image sets: automatically creates the right sized images for different devices, converts to WebP, and compresses everything. Your phone gets a phone-sized image, not a giant desktop version scaled down.
• Isolating third-party scripts: Using tools like Partytown, scripts like Google Analytics run in the background and can't slow down your page load.
• Shipping zero JavaScript by default: Only sends code when components actually need it. No bloated bundles of unused scripts.

The result? A site that feels noticeably fast. And in a world where the web has gotten increasingly slow and bloated, that stands out.

This wasn't a full SEO migration; URLs and content all stayed the same. We kept our CraftCMS backend and ported just the frontend. In all, this took us a couple of months on-and-off.

We also upgraded the mobile experience along the way, because if you're rebuilding anyway, might as well make improvements.

Match your technology to your use case: Content sites benefit from static-first approaches. Not every site needs a complex framework, and knowing the difference saves time and improves performance. Not every site needs a complex framework, and just because half the internet uses the same CMS doesn’t mean that you should too. Knowing the difference saves time and improves performance. 

Hands-on experience matters: Understanding different frameworks' strengths and limitations means we can make better recommendations for our clients' specific needs.

Performance is noticeable: Use our site. Notice how it loads? That's the point.

We're an SEO agency that practises what we preach. We don't just put badges on our website, we actively test and refine our tech stack.

Businesses want an agency that understands the technical landscape and stays current. At Optimising, this is how we approach every project; with continuous learning and improvement.

This isn't the end of our website evolution, it's part of a continuous iteration. Technology keeps moving, and so do we. We're committed to staying at the forefront of web performance, not just for ourselves, but so we can bring that expertise to every client project.

If you're interested in improving your site, get in touch. We've done the testing, we know what works, and we're ready to help you walk the walk too.