Performance for Global Audiences, Done Properly
Making a site fast for users far from your servers, on slower networks and older devices.
Marcus Adeyemi
Why does it matter?
Performance measured from one country and one office network tells you almost nothing about global users.
What are the numbers?
- Latency distance from servers adds round-trip time
- Device mix varies significantly by market
- Network quality differs widely between regions
- Edge delivery reduces distance to users
What should I do?
- Measure field performance by country
- Use edge delivery for static assets
- Test on devices common in target markets
- Reduce round trips for distant users
- Set budgets informed by market conditions
What should I avoid?
Avoid:
- Performance measured only from headquarters
- Global audiences served from one region
- Device assumptions based on the home market
- Budgets set from lab tests alone
When should I get help?
Short answer Bring in help when international traffic underperforms.
Where this comes from
- Chrome for Developers — Chrome UX Report
- Cloudflare Learning Center — What is a CDN?
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
Working on something like this?
We take on Performance & Accessibility work for teams who want it done once, properly. Tell us what you are building and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right studio for it. Start a project.
Where to go next
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
