A study of 12 local web design homepages reveals most flunk Google's Core Web Vitals, the exact metrics they sell to clients.
D-LAB ran a speed audit on 12 Sydney web design agency homepages using Google PageSpeed Insights. The result: most of them fail the very Core Web Vitals metrics they pitch to clients. The irony stings. If the builder's own site doesn't pass Google's speed test, what does that say about yours?
The audit measured mobile performance scores, Largest Contentful Paint (how fast the main content loads), Cumulative Layout Shift (how much the page moves around as it loads), and overall Core Web Vitals pass rates. Across the 12 sites, the pattern was clear: performance was uneven, and many agencies were not walking the walk on speed.
Largest Contentful Paint slow-downs and layout shift problems showed up repeatedly. For a visitor on mobile, which is most of your customers, this meant waiting for content to appear and watching the page jump around as images loaded. Those are the exact moments people leave and never convert.
Google has made Core Web Vitals a ranking factor. Pages that pass get a boost; pages that fail get demoted. If the agency that built your site hasn't optimized their own homepage to pass, they may not have the discipline or systems to do it for you either. It's the easiest trust signal to check.
A slow homepage also costs the agency traffic and leads. If they're not fixing that, either they don't know how, or they don't think it matters, both should worry you.
Measure your own site. Go to Google PageSpeed Insights, paste your homepage URL, and run it on mobile. Note the score, the Largest Contentful Paint time (should be under 2.5 seconds), and whether you pass Core Web Vitals. If you score under 90 on mobile, you're losing customers to bounce.
Then measure your current vendor's site the same way. If they're slower than you are, or if they're failing Core Web Vitals, that's the conversation to have. Speed is not a luxury feature or a nice-to-have, it's a business metric that Google rewards and customers demand.
D-LAB's study of 12 Sydney web agency homepages revealed that most fail Google's Core Web Vitals, the metrics they sell to clients.
D-LAB, 2026
How WebKing runs this
We measure your site against Google PageSpeed Insights, check Largest Contentful Paint, Cumulative Layout Shift, and Core Web Vitals pass rates, then rebuild pages that are slow. The goal is a homepage that loads fast on mobile and doesn't shift under the user's thumb, so visitors convert instead of bounce.
Core Web Vitals are three Google metrics that measure how fast your site loads, how stable the layout is, and how quickly users can interact with it. Google ranks pages that pass Core Web Vitals higher in search results, so a fast site means more organic traffic and customers.
Not necessarily, but it's a red flag. If a firm that sells speed optimization doesn't apply it to their own homepage, you should ask why, and whether they actually prioritize performance for clients or just talk about it.
Google PageSpeed Insights gives you a mobile and desktop score, plus tells you which Core Web Vitals you're passing or failing. A score above 90 is strong; anything below 50 means visitors are likely bouncing before they buy or call.
Largest Contentful Paint measures how long it takes for the biggest image or text block on your page to appear. If it's slow, customers see a blank screen and leave, so it directly impacts sales and lead capture.
Sources
The Lab is original analysis by WebKing. We summarize and interpret developments from the sources above for industrial, commercial, and small business owners. Figures are reported as published by their sources.
More from the desk
Photo: Zoshua ColahCore Web Vitals failures are killing leads for small businesses. We show you which design decisions tank rankings and how to fix them before your competitors don't.
Photo: MediamodifierStop showing pretty screenshots. Build case studies around the metrics that matter to prospects: traffic lifts, conversion gains, and revenue impact.
Photo: Matthieu JoannonA returning agency owner shares what's shifted in the small business web design market after seven years away, and what still works.
Free audit
We read your search, ads and AI visibility, then tell you which of these moves actually applies to your business. Free, 30 minutes, no pitch deck.
