Lighthouse Audit: Your Website Evaluated Transparently, Optimized Step by Step
A Lighthouse score alone says little. Our Lighthouse audit delivers the complete diagnosis: performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO on desktop and mobile, paired with a prioritized action plan that measurably improves your Core Web Vitals.
Desktop + Mobile
measured in every audit
4
Lighthouse categories checked
50+
audits completed (project experience)
40+
points avg score increase (project experience)
Lighthouse audit · fixed-price product
- A fixed price instead of a vague hourly estimate
- Measured on desktop and mobile, 5 runs averaged
- Prioritized action plan by impact and effort
- Direct implementation afterwards on request
Performance Quick Check of one key page. The Full Performance Audit across multiple templates starts at €1,490 net, ongoing Speed Care monitoring from €59 per month net. Where you start, we clarify beforehand in a free initial assessment.
Lighthouse is the standard tool for web performance diagnostics, but a screenshot of the score is not enough. Our professional Lighthouse audit and performance report goes much deeper: we systematically analyze all four categories, identify the root causes behind every weakness and translate technical findings into concrete, impact-and-effort-prioritized recommendations. After the audit you know not just what is wrong, but why it is wrong and where to start. The scope is clearly defined as a fixed price — from €349 net for the Quick Check up to the Full Performance Audit; where you start, we clarify beforehand in a free initial assessment.
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Performance | 97 |
| Accessibility | 96 |
| Best Practices | 100 |
| SEO | 100 |
What a Professional Lighthouse Audit Covers
Lighthouse evaluates a website across four categories: Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices and SEO. Each category contains dozens of individual checks whose results are summarized in a score from 0 to 100. A good overall score does not automatically mean all critical individual checks passed. Our audit examines every single finding, evaluates it in the context of your website and assesses which checks offer the greatest leverage for your specific business goals.
Performance Category
Complete analysis of all performance metrics: LCP, INP, CLS, FCP, TTFB and Speed Index. We analyze every audit finding, from render-blocking resources to unused JavaScript and unoptimized images, quantifying the time savings per measure.
Accessibility Category
Systematic review of all accessibility findings: contrast ratios, ARIA attributes, keyboard navigation, form labels and semantic HTML structure. Important for WCAG compliance and broad user groups.
Best Practices Category
Evaluation of security-relevant and technical recommendations: HTTPS usage, secure JavaScript libraries, Content Security Policy, correct API usage and avoidance of deprecated web standards.
SEO Category
Review of all SEO-relevant Lighthouse audits: meta tags, structured data, crawlability, mobile optimization and links. A poor Lighthouse SEO score directly impacts organic visibility.
Desktop and Mobile
We run all audits on both device classes. Mobile devices show significantly more critical values due to simulated CPU throttling and slower network conditions. Many performance issues are only visible on mobile.
Multiple Page Types
We audit not only the homepage but also critical sub-pages: product detail pages, category pages, article pages and landing pages. Each page type has different performance characteristics and different optimization levers.
From Score to Root Cause Analysis
A Lighthouse performance score of 42 on mobile is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Behind this score there might be a 4-megabyte hero image without AVIF conversion, three third-party scripts collectively blocking the main thread for 1.8 seconds and a missing Redis configuration driving TTFB to 2.4 seconds. Only when these root causes are identified and quantified can measures be effectively prioritized.
Our audit goes one step deeper for every Lighthouse finding. Lighthouse flags "Eliminate render-blocking resources" and lists three files. We analyze each file: what does it contain? Can it be loaded asynchronously? Is there a Critical CSS strategy that can render the visible area without the full file? The result is not the Lighthouse output but a technically grounded findings report with concrete solutions for your development team or our implementation.
The Audit Process: From Measurement to Report
Briefing and Page Selection
In the initial consultation we clarify which pages are business-critical, what conversion goals are pursued and whether there are already known performance problems. On this basis we define the page types to be audited and set target values for each Lighthouse category.
Automated and Manual Lighthouse Runs
We run multiple Lighthouse passes per page, both automated via CLI and manually through Chrome DevTools. Automated measurements eliminate variability caused by browser extensions and cached resources. For each page we document the minimum, maximum and median across five runs to compensate for measurement fluctuations.
Deep Analysis of Findings
Each Lighthouse finding is evaluated individually. We check whether the finding is reproducible on the given page, how large the actual impact on user experience is and whether other findings are related. Render-blocking resources, oversized JavaScript and unoptimized images are deepened with supplementary tools like Chrome DevTools Waterfall and Coverage Reports.
Cross-Reference With Real Field Data
Lighthouse lab values can deviate from real user experiences. Where the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) contains field data for your website, we compare lab and field values. Large deviations can indicate specific user segments, geographic differences or problematic device profiles not visible in lab tests.
Report and Action Plan
The finished report contains for each finding a technical description, estimated time gain after resolution, a concrete solution proposal and an effort estimate. The action plan prioritizes by the ratio of time gain to implementation effort, so quick wins can be tackled first.
Performance Metrics in the Lighthouse Audit
The Lighthouse performance category calculates its score from six metrics with different weightings. For optimal Core Web Vitals and Google rankings, Largest Contentful Paint (LCP, weight 25 percent) and Total Blocking Time (TBT, weight 30 percent) are especially relevant. Each metric has a different cause and requires different measures.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Measures the load time of the largest visible content. Target: under 2.5 seconds. Common audit causes: oversized hero images, missing prioritization via fetchpriority, render-blocking CSS before the LCP element and slow server response.
Total Blocking Time (TBT)
Lab equivalent of INP (Core Web Vital). Measures the sum of all long tasks over 50 milliseconds. Common causes: monolithic JavaScript bundles, synchronously executed third-party scripts and inefficient event handlers that block the main thread.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Measures unexpected layout shifts. Target: under 0.1. In the audit we identify each shift individually: images without dimension attributes, loading ad slots, delayed web fonts and dynamically inserted content areas.
First Contentful Paint (FCP)
Measures when the browser first renders visible content. Target: under 1.8 seconds. FCP is primarily influenced by server response time (TTFB) and render-blocking CSS in the head section.
Speed Index
Rates how quickly the visible page content appears visually complete. A high Speed Index indicates incremental rendering, often caused by multiple render-blocking resources or missing prioritization.
Time to Interactive (TTI)
Measures when the page becomes fully interactive. Large gaps between FCP and TTI indicate heavy JavaScript still occupying the main thread long after first paint. Supplemented in the audit by main thread analysis.
Where Is Your Website Losing Points?
Request a free initial assessment. We review your most important page, name the biggest performance levers and recommend the right audit tier — no obligation.
Typical Lighthouse Findings and Their Solutions
Across more than 50+ audits, we have identified a set of recurring findings that appear most frequently and have the greatest score impact. Each finding has typical causes and proven solution approaches that we tailor specifically to your website in our report.
- Render-blocking resources: CSS and JS files in the head without
async/deferor apreloadstrategy. Solution: Critical CSS inline + asynchronous loading of remaining stylesheets; set JavaScript todefer. - Unoptimized images: Outdated formats (JPEG/PNG) instead of WebP or AVIF, missing
srcsetfor responsive delivery, no explicit dimension attributes. Solution: Image optimization pipeline with automatic conversion. - Unused JavaScript: Large bundles where only 20 to 30 percent runs on the given page. Solution: Code splitting, tree-shaking and dynamic imports for rarely used modules.
- Slow server response (TTFB): TTFB above 600 milliseconds indicates missing caching strategy or database bottlenecks. Solution: Redis cache, OPcache optimization, database index analysis.
- No HTTP/2 or HTTP/3: Older servers still deliver over HTTP/1.1, preventing multiplexing. Solution: Upgrade to HTTP/2 (or HTTP/3) in the hosting or proxy configuration.
- Missing or too-short cache headers: Static assets without
max-ageor with too-short cache durations force the browser to revalidate on every request. Solution: CorrectCache-Controlheaders per resource type with long durations and content hashes.
Accessibility and Best Practices: Underestimated Score Drivers
Performance is the core discipline of a Lighthouse audit, but accessibility and best practices also have direct consequences for your website. An accessibility score below 90 means parts of your website are difficult or impossible to use for people with disabilities or older devices, posing a legal risk in the context of growing digital accessibility regulations. A poor best practices score can indicate security vulnerabilities or outdated APIs.
Four Categories, One Complete Picture
Accessibility Findings in Detail
Lighthouse checks over 30 accessibility rules automatically. Common findings in our audits: missing alt text on informational images, contrast ratios below the WCAG AA threshold of 4.5:1, unlabeled form fields, missing lang attributes on the HTML element and buttons without visible focus indicators. Each deficiency is documented in the report with the affected element, the relevant WCAG criterion and the correction proposal.
- WCAG 2.2 AA as target standard for all findings
- Contrast check for all text-background combinations
- ARIA attributes and screen reader compatibility
- Keyboard navigation and focus management
Best Practices Findings Explained
The best practices category checks security and future-relevant aspects. Typical findings: JavaScript libraries with known vulnerabilities, missing Content Security Policy, insecure third-party embeds over HTTP instead of HTTPS and use of deprecated DOM APIs. A high best practices score signals that the website meets modern web standards and is maintainable long-term.
- Security vulnerabilities in JavaScript dependencies
- HTTPS for all resources including third parties
- Deprecated APIs and browser compatibility
- Console errors and deprecation warnings
The Performance Report: Structure and Content
After the audit you receive a structured performance report that documents all findings and leads directly into implementation. The report is designed to give both development teams and project managers without deep technical knowledge a clear overview.
Executive Summary
In two to three pages: current Lighthouse score per category, the three most critical findings with time-gain estimates and an overall assessment of the performance state. Suitable for communication with stakeholders and decision-makers without technical background.
Metrics Dashboard
All measured Lighthouse metrics for desktop and mobile at a glance: score per category, LCP, TBT, CLS, FCP, Speed Index and TTFB. Both lab values and CrUX field data where available. Serves as a baseline for later comparison measurements.
Findings Catalog
Each Lighthouse finding with: category and rating, screenshot or code snippet, explained cause, concrete solution proposal with implementation notes and estimated time saved after remediation. Developers can start implementation immediately.
Prioritized Action Plan
All findings sorted by the ratio of impact to effort: quick wins (high effect, low effort) first, then medium-term optimizations and finally long-term architecture adjustments. Each measure includes responsibility and estimated time investment.
Platform-Specific Recommendations
Lighthouse Audit for Different Platforms
Interpreting a Lighthouse audit depends heavily on the platform in use. What is a normal TBT value for a Single Page Application (SPA) is a critical finding for a server-side rendered CMS page. We know the platform-specific characteristics and optimization paths for the most common systems and tailor our recommendations accordingly.
WordPress
WordPress-specific audits cover caching plugin configuration, database query analysis, plugin audit for performance impact, theme optimization (Critical CSS, minification) and server configuration. See more at WordPress Performance.
Shopware Community Edition
Shopware audits focus on storefront compilation, HTTP cache configuration, Elasticsearch optimization, theme performance and app system impact. We understand Shopware's built-in caching and how to configure it correctly.
TYPO3, Joomla and Contao
For classic PHP CMS systems we analyze server-side caching configuration, extension and plugin performance impact, database optimization and build asset pipeline. Each system has different tuning parameters.
Lighthouse Audit and TTFB Optimization Working Together
Lighthouse reports TTFB as a standalone diagnostic, but the score itself is not directly calculated from it. Nevertheless, slow TTFB is the most common reason for poor LCP and FCP values because the browser cannot begin rendering until it receives the HTTP response. In our audit we show the exact relationship between TTFB and Lighthouse score and provide recommendations that act on both levels.
A complete performance perspective always connects the Lighthouse audit with server-side analysis. The caching configuration influences TTFB, TTFB influences FCP and LCP, and LCP drives the Lighthouse performance score. Working only on the frontend often solves the symptom, not the cause. Our audit uncovers the full chain and recommends measures at every level, from server optimization to frontend tuning. Our articles on reading the Lighthouse report and performance budgets for JavaScript show how to interpret the results yourself.
Continuous Monitoring After the Audit
Audit Packages and Fixed Prices
Lighthouse Audit: Transparent Fixed Prices
All prices net. The Lighthouse audit is bookable as a clearly scoped fixed-price product. For a deeper, server-side review across multiple templates, the comprehensive performance analysis takes it further.
Performance Quick Check
Compact audit of one key page with the most important immediate measures.
- Lighthouse measurement desktop and mobile
- Core Web Vitals overview
- Top measures as a short report
- Result within a few working days
Full Performance Audit
Complete audit across multiple templates with a prioritized action plan.
- All four categories, multiple page types
- 5 runs per page (min/max/median)
- Cross-reference with real field data (CrUX)
- Findings catalog with solution proposals
- Prioritized action plan by impact/effort
- Results presentation for your team
Speed Care Monitoring
Ongoing monitoring of Core Web Vitals with alerts on regression.
- Continuous CWV measurement
- Alert on performance regression
- Quarterly review with recommendations
- Cancel anytime, no lock-in
All prices net plus VAT. You receive a concrete recommendation after the free initial assessment. On request we implement the measures directly afterwards.