THE CWV CHECKLIST

Long performance audits get ignored. A twelve-item list that a lead developer can run in an afternoon gets used. This is the list I run before launch, before a major template change, and after any "we added one small script" surprise.

It assumes you already know the metrics. If you need the diagnosis story, read why your website is slow. If you need surgery on one metric, read the LCP, INP, CLS guide. This page is the gate.

Key takeaway: A checklist you finish beats a 40-page audit nobody opens twice.

Print it, paste it into the launch ticket, or run it as a PR checklist. The point is binary pass or fail per row, not essay answers.

Key takeaway: If you cannot tick item 1 and item 2, you are not ready for items 3 through 12.

Run the list on the templates that earn money or rankings: homepage, primary landing page, category or hub, and a representative article or product page. One green homepage with a red article template is still a failed launch.

Assign an owner per fail. Performance work without an owner becomes a Slack thread. Re-run field data a week after release, not only in staging. Staging lies about third parties, cache warmth, and real devices.

When everything passes, stop. Further optimisation is optional brand polish unless a specific conversion test says otherwise.

Key takeaway: Use the checklist as a gate on templates that matter, then walk away when field data clears.

Calling lab green a pass when Search Console still shows a poor URL group. Shipping a new marketing page that was never on the checklist. Leaving chat widgets on the critical path because sales asked. Fixing CLS in staging with empty ad slots that explode in production.

Also: treating the checklist as a one-off. Templates drift. A quarterly rerun on the money pages catches the slow death from "just one more tag".

If more than three rows fail, do not parallelise twelve micro-tasks. Fix LCP and third parties first, then rerun. Most boards clear faster that way than with a scattergun sprint.

Key takeaway: Fail the launch when field data or template coverage is missing, not when a vanity lab score is 89.

Use why-is-my-website-slow when you still need the story of server versus front end. Use the LCP, INP, CLS guide when a single metric is red and you need levers. Use the performance pillar when the question is roadmap and investment, not a launch gate.

This checklist is the boring middle: binary, repeatable, short enough that people actually run it.

Key takeaway: Gate launches with the checklist. Diagnose with the other performance guides.