Too many blocking resources in the head
More than 4 render-blocking stylesheets or scripts in the <head>. The browser shows nothing until each of them has been downloaded. On a phone, every extra file is a visible delay before the first paint.
NoticePERF-002 · Performance · checked on every page
Where it usually comes from
Themes and plugins that each add their own stylesheet and script to the head, loaded on every page whether they are used there or not.
How to fix it
- Add defer to scripts that do not need to run before the page shows.
- Combine small stylesheets, and load the ones not needed for the first screen later.
How to check it yourself
Run the page through PageSpeed Insights; it lists the render-blocking resources by name.
What it looks like in a report
Notice 7 blocking resources in <head> delay the first paint. · evidence: 5 stylesheets, 2 scripts
Plugins each add their own files to every page; deferring the scripts is usually the quickest gain. (An example shop; the numbers are illustrative.)
How the audit counts it
PERF-002 is a notice in the performance category, and weighs lightly in that category’s score. When it appears on many pages built from the same template, the report shows it once, with the number of pages it covers — because one change in the template fixes all of them.
If the finding is deliberate on your site, it can be accepted as intentional in the report. It then leaves the list and the score, and comes back on its own if what it shows changes.
Other performance checks
- Images without declared dimensions · PERF-001
- LCP above 2.5 s · PERF-003
- Very heavy HTML document · PERF-004
- Layout shifts while loading (CLS) · PERF-005
- Slow response to clicks and taps (INP) · PERF-006
- Images heavier than 200 KB · PERF-007
Find it on your site
A Trakis audit runs this check and the other 65 on your site, and tells you on how many pages each one sits. Or go back to all the rules.