How can I optimize my video and photo-heavy website in Webflow to improve web vitals and handle JavaScript?

To optimize a video and photo-heavy Webflow website, you need to focus on handling media loading, reducing JavaScript execution time, and improving Core Web Vitals like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

1. Optimize Images and Videos for Web

• Use WebP for images whenever possible. Webflow supports WebP when uploading assets.
• Compress images using tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh before uploading.
• Enable lazy loading for all images and videos. Webflow automatically adds loading="lazy" to images in most cases, but confirm this in the embed or element settings.
• Convert videos to animated poster images or GIFs if actual video playback isn't essential.
• Host videos externally (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo) rather than uploading to Webflow directly. Embed with ?rel=0 or other performance parameters to limit third-party requests.

2. Manage JavaScript Usage

• Minimize custom code in Before and head sections. Eliminate unused JavaScript libraries like jQuery if not critical.
• Use Webflow’s built-in interactions instead of custom JS where possible—they’re optimized for performance.
• Defer or async third-party scripts, such as analytics or chat widgets, to prevent blocking render.

3. Reduce Render-Blocking Elements

• Remove unneeded fonts or weights from Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts. Each additional weight or style adds to load time.
• Place CSS and critical styles inline, either manually or via selective page designs, and load non-critical styles later if possible.
• Avoid large background videos or autoplay elements above the fold—these hurt LCP.

4. Use Webflow CMS Features Efficiently

• In CMS Collections, use smaller image versions via image fields or custom image sizes.
• When filtering or sorting items using JavaScript, limit the number of items and replace JavaScript-heavy filtering with CMS-driven filtering if possible.

5. Audit and Monitor Performance

• Use Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools or PageSpeed Insights to measure Core Web Vitals.
• Identify which assets are slowing the page: large videos, uncompressed images, or third-party scripts.
• Monitor JavaScript execution time under “Performance” in DevTools.

Summary

To optimize a media-heavy Webflow site, compress and lazy-load all assets, offload videos to external platforms, replace custom JavaScript with built-in Webflow features, and defer non-essential scripts. Monitor the site using Lighthouse or PageSpeed Insights to evaluate and address performance issues.