Preconnect origins

Silktide checks whether your page could load faster by telling the browser, up front, which other servers it will soon need. Opening those connections early means files from third parties start downloading sooner.

Before a browser can download anything from a new server - a font service, a , an analytics provider - it must look up the server's address, open a connection, and negotiate encryption. That setup takes several network round trips, and normally the browser only starts it when it first discovers a file it needs from that server, which can be late in the page load.

Why this matters

Connection setup to a single server can cost hundreds of milliseconds on a mobile connection, and a typical page talks to several third-party servers. When that setup starts late - because the file that needs it is referenced deep in a stylesheet or script - the delay lands directly on visible content such as fonts and images.

A preconnect hint moves this cost to the very start of the load, where it overlaps with work the browser was doing anyway. It is one line of per server, with no visual change to the page.

How to fix it

Add a preconnect hint in your page's <head> for each important server the check reports:

<!-- Open the connection before the browser discovers it needs one -->
<link rel="preconnect" href="https:\/\/fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>

Include the crossorigin attribute for servers that need it - fonts always do.
Only preconnect to servers that matter for the visible page, such as where your fonts, images, or critical scripts live. Each open connection costs the visitor's device resources, so a handful of hints helps and dozens hurt.
For less important servers, rel="dns-prefetch" is a cheaper hint that performs only the address lookup ahead of time.

How Silktide tests this

Load the page in a real browser, using the device type, connection speed, and test location configured for your speed tests.
Identify the servers the page downloads from where connection setup delayed the download and no early-connection hint was in place.
Report each server with the estimated time a preconnect hint would save.
Grade the page by the total estimated saving: around 100 milliseconds is graded down, and 200 milliseconds or more is graded as poor.

Troubleshooting

I added the hint but the finding remains

Check the exact address: the hint must match the server the files actually come from, including the protocol and any subdomain (https:\/\/fonts.gstatic.com is not https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com). Fonts also need crossorigin on the hint - without it the browser opens the wrong kind of connection and then discards it.

Should I preconnect to every third-party server?

No. Browsers limit how many early connections they honour, and each one spends resources on the visitor's device. Reserve preconnect for the few servers whose files shape what visitors see first.