Fixes That Made My Website Faster and More Accessible (dingyu.me)

In a recent blog post, an experienced web developer documented the process of optimizing their document translation web app, Kintoun, dramatically improving its performance score from 58 to 86 on Google's Lighthouse. This initiative comes after discovering their site's original score was hampered by issues like short caching times, unoptimized image file formats, and accessibility features. By increasing the cache time from 4 hours to 1 year and converting image formats from PNG to WebP, the developer achieved substantial improvements in loading time and page experience. The significance of this story lies in the practical insights it provides to the AI/ML community, particularly those involved in web development and optimization. The developer's use of LLM (Language Model) for translation showcases an effective application of AI technology that outperformed leading competitors like Google Translate. Furthermore, the article highlights the importance of accessibility standards, demonstrating the positive impact that small changes—such as adding ARIA labels—can have on user experience. These enhancements not only improve the site's performance metrics but also align with best practices for creating inclusive web applications.