Forem: Bohdan Prytulyak

PageSpeed Is Lying to You - And Your Users Know It

Bohdan Prytulyak — Fri, 01 May 2026 13:39:59 +0000

A fast website doesn’t always mean a good website.

I’ve seen this many times in real projects.

PageSpeed score — 90+. Everything looks “optimized”.

But when you check analytics — it tells a different story.

Users still leave.
They don’t scroll.
They don’t convert.

At first, it feels confusing. You did everything “right”.

So why isn’t it working?

The Illusion of a “Fast Website”

Tools like PageSpeed Insights are useful — no doubt.

They help you identify technical issues and improve loading performance.

But here’s the key thing:

They measure how fast your site loads.
Not how comfortable it feels to use.

And those are two very different things.

A website can be technically fast…

and still feel slow, unclear, or even frustrating.

🔍 What PageSpeed Doesn’t Tell You

PageSpeed gives you numbers.

But it doesn’t answer simple human questions like:

“Do I understand what this website is about?”
“Do I know what to do next?”
“Do I trust this page?”

Users don’t think in metrics.

They react in seconds — often without even realizing why.

1. Fast Load — But No Clear Value

Imagine this:

A page loads in under 2 seconds.
Everything is technically perfect.

But the first screen shows:

a vague headline
a generic background
no clear direction

At that moment, users don’t analyze.

They just leave.

Because nothing immediately tells them: “This is for you. Stay.”

2. Good Score — But Poor UX

Sometimes websites are “too clean”.

Plenty of whitespace. Minimal design. Everything aligned.

Looks modern.

But:

key information is not visible
the eye doesn’t know where to go
nothing stands out

And that creates friction.

Not the kind you notice in tools —

but the kind users feel.

3. Mobile Experience Is Ignored

This is one of the most common issues I see.

On desktop, everything looks fine.

PageSpeed score is high.

But real users?

They’re on mobile.

And on mobile:

buttons feel too small
text is harder to scan
sections feel cramped or слишком long

Even small неудобства add up quickly.

And users leave without thinking twice.

4. Speed Without Trust

Let’s say your site loads instantly.

Great.

But does it feel trustworthy?

If users don’t see:

real photos
clear contact info
reviews or proof

They hesitate.

And hesitation online usually means one thing:

👉 exit.

5. Technical Metrics ≠ Business Results

This is where many projects get stuck.

You improve:

LCP
CLS
TTFB

You see green scores.

But behavior doesn’t change.

Because performance alone doesn’t solve:

unclear messaging
weak structure
lack of direction

👉 Users don’t care about metrics.

👉 They care about clarity.

What Actually Matters

Instead of asking: “Is my website fast enough?”

Try asking: “Does my website make sense instantly?”

Because in most cases, users decide in a few seconds:

stay
or leave

Practical Fixes That Work

From experience, improvements don’t come from one big change.

They come from small, focused adjustments.

✅ 1. Show value immediately

The first screen should answer:

what you do
who it’s for
why it matters

Not perfectly. Just clearly.

✅ 2. Fix visual hierarchy

Users don’t read — they scan.

Help them:

structure content
highlight important parts
guide their attention

✅ 3. Optimize for mobile first

Not as a “fallback”, but as the main experience.

Test on a real phone.

Scroll. Click. Feel it.

You’ll notice things no tool will show.

✅ 4. Add trust signals

Speed gets attention.

Trust gets conversions.

Even simple things help:

real images
testimonials
visible contact info

✅ 5. Think beyond metrics

Numbers are useful.

But behavior is more important.

Use:

session recordings
heatmaps
real feedback.

That’s where the real insights are.

Real Example

I worked on a WordPress site that looked perfect on paper.

PageSpeed: 90+

Core Web Vitals: passed

But users weren’t engaging.

After a quick review, the issue became obvious:

unclear first screen
weak call to action
too much “empty” design

We didn’t rebuild the site.

We just adjusted:

structure
messaging
focus

PageSpeed barely changed. Conversions improved.

Final Thought

PageSpeed matters. But it’s not the goal. It’s just one piece of the puzzle. A good website is not just fast.

It’s:

clear
easy to understand
comfortable to use
and trustworthy

👋 About the author

I work with WordPress, SEO, and performance optimization — helping businesses build websites that not only load fast, but actually convert.

More about my work: [https://pbb.design/en/]

What do you think?

Have you ever had a “fast” website that still didn’t perform?

What was the real issue?

How to Use ChatGPT Effectively without Losing your Developer Skills

Bohdan Prytulyak — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 20:40:14 +0000

You access ChatGPT more frequently than Atom. You request a neural network to create a sorting function that you have implemented countless times before. Your response appears to be copied and pasted without any consideration for its content. Does that ring a bell? Congratulations! You are not alone. It is a widespread issue. Today, we will explore how to utilize ChatGPT effectively while maintaining our identity as developers, rather than merely relying on code-pasting.

Phases of deterioration

Phase 1: "I'm merely conserving time."

You are requesting ChatGPT to create a straightforward function. Alright, that seems unproductive. Satisfactory.

Phase 2: "Why should we remember?" one might inquire.

You have forgotten the distinction between map and forEach. You seem to have overlooked how this functions in JavaScript. But why not—surely you can inquire?

Phase 3: "As an architect, my focus is not on writing code."

You are replicating complete elements from ChatGPT. You lack comprehension of their actions. However, they are effective. Nearly there...

Phase 4: "Can it be done without a code?"

A neural network is prompted to generate code, followed by an explanation of its output, and subsequently, the code is debugged. As a project manager, your focus is on a singular function within the project.

Phase 5: You seem to have overlooked the steps for creating a new file in the terminal.

You are no longer a developer.
What actions to take

This is a collection of effective guidelines.

Before initiating a conversation with a neural network, consider crafting a solution on your own first. For a minimum of 15 minutes. Regardless of whether the code is flawed or fails to compile. The key takeaway is that you are engaging your mind. You are remembering syntax, patterns, and logic. ChatGPT will then highlight your mistakes—and that will be significantly more beneficial than just getting a pre-made answer.

“Please provide an authorization function.” - that’s not correct. “Here is my authorization function.” What seems to be the issue? What vulnerabilities exist?" — this is the approach to engaging with a neural network.

Can you sense the change? In the initial scenario, you are a consumer. In the second scenario, you are a developer utilizing a tool for expansion. It's akin to the contrast between an individual who opts for food delivery and another who prepares their own meal while seeking guidance from the chef.

The most effective prompt isn't "write me..." but rather "explain to me how... works." Once you grasp the concept, you'll be able to write the code independently. Copying and pasting code means you haven't grasped the concepts; you've merely postponed the issue for your future self to deal with.

Did you receive the code from ChatGPT? Wonderful. Please close the chat and recreate this code from memory. Refrain from copying and pasting—rephrase it instead. This compels your mind to engage with the information, rather than allowing it to flow aimlessly from one point to another.

It is unnecessary to completely dismiss neural networks as a matter of principle. It's akin to abandoning a calculator out of fear that I might forget my multiplication tables. This is where AI stands out as a remarkably effective tool:

Create a configuration, produce template code—tasks that demand little mental effort yet consume a significant amount of time.

Are you exploring a new framework? ChatGPT serves as a personal mentor, always ready to clarify concepts, no matter how many times it takes.

"Here’s my code, here’s the error, here’s what I tried" - and GPT can truly assist you in identifying the issue more quickly than spending an hour searching online.

Engaging with 100 articles, viewing 50 videos, and posing 1,000 questions to ChatGPT is valuable, yet without the act of writing code yourself, personal growth will remain stagnant. It's akin to perusing literature on swimming without ever stepping into the water.

In conclusion

ChatGPT is an excellent resource. A tool wielded by a master differs greatly from one handled by someone lacking knowledge. Achieve mastery.

At what stage of degradation do you find yourself? Please share your thoughts in the comments.