Choosing help · reviewed 16 October 2026
What should a performance proposal explain?
Ask how the proposed work connects a measurable delay to a task your visitors need to finish. A list of optimization tools is not enough to define that work.
Which pages and visitors are included?
A site can have a quick home page and a slow product listing. Ask which page types, devices and logged-in tasks will be reviewed. If the estimate covers only a small sample, make that sample explicit.
Bring one or two public examples and describe what feels slow. The provider should be able to explain how those examples inform the investigation.
What is the starting point?
Ask for the test method, device or simulation, connection assumptions and date. A later comparison should use conditions that are reasonably comparable. If real-visitor data is unavailable, the report should say so.
What will be protected during the change?
Compressing assets, removing a script or changing caching can affect the site’s behavior. Identify the forms, navigation, tracking and commerce functions that must still work. Agree how payment and outgoing-message tests will be kept away from real customers.
What will the handoff contain?
- The pages and tasks checked before and after.
- The files, settings or services changed.
- The result under the stated test conditions.
- Known limits and items not tested.
- How a release can be reversed and who maintains the changes.
A useful first scope can be small.
One recurring delay on an important page can be a sensible starting point. A wider plan can follow after the cause and available options are understood. See how performance work is checked or describe your slow page.