Real-World Example: Before & After Audit
Real-World Example: E-commerce Site Optimization
Let's look at a common scenario for a small online store selling handmade crafts.
Before the Audit:
- Problem: The store owner noticed declining sales and an increase in customer complaints about the website being slow, especially on phones.
 - Initial State: Product pages featured large, high-resolution photos directly uploaded from a camera (often > 2MB each). The mobile navigation was a standard desktop menu shrunk down, making links tiny and hard to tap. Server response time was acceptable but not great.
 - Audit Findings:
- Lighthouse Performance Score: 35 (Mobile), 65 (Desktop)
 - Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): ~8.5 seconds on simulated mobile due to large product images.
 - Accessibility issues flagged for small tap targets on mobile navigation.
 - Opportunities identified for browser caching and CSS/JS minification.
 
 
After Implementing Audit Recommendations:
- Actions Taken:
- Image Optimization: All product photos were compressed using an online tool (like TinyPNG) and resized to appropriate dimensions (e.g., max-width 1200px). WebP versions were generated and served using the 
<picture>element. - Mobile Navigation: Implemented a dedicated mobile "hamburger" menu with larger, easily tappable links.
 - Caching: Configured server rules to leverage browser caching for static assets (CSS, JS, images) for 1 month.
 - Minification: Enabled built-in CSS and JavaScript minification features in their e-commerce platform.
 
 - Image Optimization: All product photos were compressed using an online tool (like TinyPNG) and resized to appropriate dimensions (e.g., max-width 1200px). WebP versions were generated and served using the 
 - Results (After 2 Months):
- Lighthouse Performance Score: 78 (Mobile), 92 (Desktop)
 - Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Reduced to ~2.8 seconds on simulated mobile.
 - Mobile bounce rate decreased by 15%.
 - Mobile conversion rate increased by 20%.
 - Accessibility score improved due to fixed tap targets.
 
 
This example highlights how a systematic audit can pinpoint specific, actionable issues that directly impact user experience and business outcomes.