Chromium “Never-Slow Mode” to Truncate Large Page Content

Chromium is the browser rendering engine used by Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and a number of other Internet web browsers to convert the HTML, CSS, Javascript, and images into the web pages you want to see.
The Chromium developers recently committed a new “Never-Slow Mode” set of changes to the prototype Chromium codebase in order to test out some new features designed to speed the rendering of web pages.

Note that this is currently a prototype, but it can also serve as a “Coming soon to a web browser near you” comming attractions trailer of where Chrome, Edge, Opera, et al will be heading once this codebase gets integrated.

Why Should You Care?

Nowadays, page bloat is becoming a bigger problem: large code modules, multimegabyte images, and bloated CSS all contribute to slower loading web pages. Newer Web Frameworks technologies like Angular, React, Ruby on Rails, et al, depend on larger client-side payloads and the browser doing more of the heavy lifting on rendering a web site. Easier site development comes at the cost of more work for the browser to render the content, and downloading all the components to make that function comes at a file size and rendering time cost.

Even without those Frameworks, web page size has grown as faster mobile networks and widespread availability of broadband Internet access has made dialup (and it’s draconian speed limitations) a thing of the past. Page speed is lower on a designers list of requirements, and page-bloat is the result. The “Never-Slow Mode” proposed by the Chromium developers would set hard limits on the individual component size and total size for that type of component on a per-page basis. Some of the currently proposed limits are:

Component Type Max Size Per Item Max Size Per Page
Images 1 MB 2 MB
CSS 100KB 200KB
Javascript 50 KB 500 KB
Total Connection Limit   10
Long Task Limit 200 mSec  

Future enhancements already announced include limiting IFRAME nesting depth and a “Feature-policy” header which can trigger on a per-page basis. Currently, the prototype has no UI to inform users that a page is slow and subject to these thresholds/limits.

Since it is still in the prototype stage, it is not clear whether and when this Mode would be turned on. Would it be off by default for both Desktop and Mobile users? On for Mobile only? Turned on automatically when in a slow-bandwidth network area? It is not currently clear.

Page Speed Is Important

Google believes strongly that pages should load quickly, and has already made several steps to help:

  • Advise: Provide their Page Speed Insights Tool for testing and grading a page’s speed on mobile and desktop
  • Penalize: Google is using page load time as a Google Ranking Factor to downgrade slow-loading pages in the SERPS
  • Speed Delivery: Google developed the AMP architecture to allow for fast, lean mobile pages

The Road Ahead

It appears that Google is approaching the point where they will move away from advising on slow pages, dunning slow pages in the SERPS, and providing an alternative delivery mechanism to actively trucating large sites/site components.

As a Site developer, it would be prudent to get jumpstart of ensuring that your site can run efficiently with these proposed limits in place or risk having the site degrade (possibly badly) once these new features are made mainstream. ChromeStory has a little more detail.

SMX West 2013 – Post-Conference Thoughts

I spent the beginning of last week soaking up the smart from SMX West and thought I’d share some of the thoughts and ideas I brought home from the conference.  I have attended a lot of conferences over the years.  I always attend with an open  mind and the desire to learn.  I might not learn new concepts every time, but I always come away with a new tool, a new technique, a new idea that will help me be a better marketer.  I think it’s really important for everyone in this industry to stay humble and have an open mind.  I don’t think everyone does, but I think it’s important – that’s how I approach learning and I’ve never regretted it!

I think most would agree with me when I call SMX West 2013 the “Conference for Content.”  Continue reading

Pubcon Day 3 – Community Building

Last session of the conference for this sore-wristed typist.  I’m excited to hear from Gillian Muessig.  I spoke on a panel with her quite a few years ago and she is really one of the most gracious and supportive people I’ve met.

First up is the SEOMom, Gillian Muessig, Founding President Emeritus, SEOMoz.org

Gillian is sharing photos of clusters, talking about clusters progressing into communities.  Are the clusters, communities?  No – they’ve a similar thought group, etc. Continue reading

Pubcon Day 3 – Engaging Your Community and Audience Through Contests

Looks like a panelist didnt show up….that’s too bad…..and bad form…..in my opinion….. 🙂

First we’ll hear from Matt Craine – Owner and PresidentMattCraine.com, who met & proposed to his wife at past pubcons…awwwww.

To make contests relevant and successful you need to have a prize of significance, prizes of relevance, don’t give away someone else’s product, Push the promotion.

Continue reading

Pubcon Day 2 – Integrating Social Media Into an Overall Marketing Plan

Warren Whitlock, Digital Business Strategist, Carbon Digits, Moderator

Warren starts out asking a few audience questions surrounding in-house vs agency and who creates the cotnent within your organization.

First up is Kirsten Wright, Social Media & PR Manager, MagnaFlow.  She’s been working in the industry for 6-years.  Her business sells auto exhaust products. Going to talk about Continue reading

Pubcon Day 2 – Social Media Optimization and Conversion on Facebook

Alison Zarella, AlisonZarella.com, Moderator – and wear-er of awesome shoes……

First up is Kevin Scholl, who is the Social Media Manager at Red Roof Inns

How to turn your community ….. Something I totally missed the first slide, it went by at light speed.  You need to determine if you’re building the right audience.  Building a community isn’t just digital.

Build community for your brand advocates.  Needed to figure out how to get folks into the community before you focused on converting them.  They promoted, partnered and participated.  Content engages your audience.

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Pubcon Day 2 – Leveraging Pinterest As A Marketing Channel

So excited to hear about my crack, I mean Pinterest, from Jennifer Evans-Cario, President of Sugar Spun Marketing.  What makes Pinterest different, how do we know if it will last?  The key things that make it different is 1) It does something useful in a new way. Basically bookmarking with images – easier to process than a list in a feed. 2) it solves a problem; and 3) it appeals to publishers, curators, seekers and stashers.  Oh – and it’s easy to use.

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Pubcon Day 2 – Social Signals in Search

This morning my friend John Ellis, founder of Crescent Interactive,  is rocking the history of Google’s social connections from FriendConnect to Wave to Buzz – all things most in the room have no knowledge of.  The point, Google has been trying for a long time.  Then talks about how +1s are introduced in search results in March 2011.

People ask John if he thinks Google+ will last, he doesn’t know but they pushed all in with it, so they’re in trouble if it doesn’t.

Bing has partnered with Linkedin, showing blended ads now.  Integrating search seems to show some growth in Search Engine Share – related?  Not sure, correlation vs causation issue. Continue reading

Pubcon Day 1 – Social Signals in Search

Eric Enge, President, StoneTemple Consulting 

Co-Author of “The Art of SEO” with Stephan Spencer

Going through different types of sharing, Google+, Twitter, Instagram

What do search engines see – a lot based on crawl, some based on the fact that its done on a Google property.  Bing sees a lot of Facebook data.  Like is a hard thing to use, does someone like the person, the content, the design, the picture?

Weighing votes is tricky, how do you establish authority and use authority to weigh the relevancy and trust behind the vote.

Consider the effort of creating the signal – like is much easier than sharing something.  Links represent the highest level of effort because you have to edit the page.  As long as the link sits there your endorsement is committed.

Continue reading

Pubcon Day 1 – Hardcore PPC Tactics

Rolling right along, and deviating my previous liveblogging plan, I’m covering Hardcore PPC tactics with John Ellis, Jennifer Evans-Cario, David Szetela and Brad Geddes.

Jennifer Evans-Cario, Founder, SugarSpun Marketing is moderating this session.  Jen, love your necklace, can I have it if the whole “jumping off a building” thing doesn’t work?

First up, we’re going to hear from Brad Geddes, Founder, Certified Knowledge about Profit Per Impression and ad copy testing.

Paid Search is 14 years old now, Google AdWords is 10 years old.  What numbers should you be using to measure success in AdWords?  Data is just numbers without Continue reading