The mistake: preloading everything

The mistake: preloading everything

After learning that preload speeds things up, many people add it to dozens of files. But preload tells the browser fetch this right now, ahead of everything else. Preload ten things and you've prioritized nothing — they all crowd the start and your real LCP image waits its turn.

Think of it like marking every email urgent. Soon nothing feels urgent.

How to fix it:
— Preload only your single most important resource — usually the LCP image or main font.
— Remove preload from anything below the fold or non-critical.
— Check PageSpeed Insights for a warning that a preloaded resource wasn't used early — that's a sign to remove it.

Try this: count your rel="preload" tags. If there's more than two or three, trim back to the essentials.