Framer Site Performance Optimization (10x Faster Load Times)

Your Framer site performance directly impacts your bounce rate, conversions, and SEO ranking.

A site that loads in 1 second converts 5x better than one that loads in 5 seconds.

In this guide, you'll learn the exact steps to optimize Framer site performance and achieve lightning-fast load times—even with animations, images, and custom components.

Why Framer Performance Matters

Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor. If your Framer site is slow, you're losing:

🚫 SEO rankings (Google penalizes slow sites)
🚫 Conversions (users bounce before seeing your CTA)
🚫 Client trust (agencies need performant sites for handoff)

The good news? Framer is fast by default. But you can make it even faster.

1. Image Optimization (The Biggest Performance Killer)

Images account for 50-70% of your page weight. Optimize them first.

Use WebP Format (Automatic in Framer)

Framer automatically converts images to WebP, a modern format that's 30% smaller than PNG/JPEG with no quality loss.

Don't disable this feature.

Compress Before Uploading

Don't upload 10MB images. Compress them first using:

TinyPNG (online tool)
ImageOptim (Mac app)
Squoosh (Google's web app)

Target file size: Under 500KB for most images.

Use Correct Dimensions

If you're displaying an image at 500px wide, don't upload a 4000px image.

Rule of thumb: Upload images at 2x the display size (for retina screens), but no larger.

Lazy Load Off-Screen Images

Framer automatically lazy-loads images below the fold. But if you have a hero image, make sure it's optimized since it's the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) element.

2. Minimize Code Components & Overrides

Only Use What You Need

Every code component adds JavaScript to your page. Ask yourself: "Do I really need this component, or can I achieve this with native Framer layers?"

(New to code components? Read our guide on how to add code components to Framer.)

Remove Unused Variants

If a component has 5 variants but you only use 2, duplicate the component and delete the unused variants. This reduces bundle size.

Optimize Code Overrides

If you're using Framer code overrides, follow these rules:

✅ Use useMemo and useCallback to prevent re-renders
✅ Avoid heavy calculations inside the component
✅ Keep overrides simple and focused

Bad Override (Causes Lag):

export function HeavyOverride(Component): ComponentType {
  return (props) => {
    // ❌ Runs every render
    const data = expensiveCalculation()
    return <Component {...props} data={data} />
  }
}

Good Override:

export function OptimizedOverride(Component): ComponentType {
  return (props) => {
    // ✅ Only runs when dependencies change
    const data = useMemo(() => expensiveCalculation(), [])
    return <Component {...props} data={data} />
  }
}

3. Reduce Animation Complexity

Animations are beautiful, but they can tank performance if done wrong.

Use CSS Transforms (Not Position Changes)

Bad (Janky):

Animate X position from 0 to 100

Good (Smooth):

Animate translateX from 0 to 100

CSS transforms use the GPU and don't trigger layout recalculations.

Limit Simultaneous Animations

Don't animate 50 elements at once. Stagger them or reduce the number.

Reduce Animation Complexity on Mobile

Mobile devices have less power. Use the Breakpoint feature to simplify or disable animations on mobile.

4. Optimize Fonts

Use System Fonts When Possible

System fonts (like -apple-system or Segoe UI) load instantly because they're already on the user's device.

Limit Font Weights

If you're using Google Fonts, don't import all 9 weights. Pick 2-3 (Regular, Medium, Bold).

Example:

// ❌ Bad (loads 9 files)
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@100;200;300;400;500;600;700;800;900');

// ✅ Good (loads 3 files)
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;500;700');

Preload Critical Fonts

In Framer, you can add a <link rel="preload"> in Site Settings → Custom Code (Head) to load your font faster.

5. Optimize Framer CMS Queries

If you're using Framer CMS, large collections can slow down your site.

Limit CMS Items Per Page

Don't load 100 blog posts on a single page. Use pagination and load 9-12 at a time.

Use Filters Wisely

CMS filters are great, but filtering 500 items client-side is slow. If you have large datasets, consider using an external API.

6. Test Your Framer Site Performance

Use these tools to measure your Framer site speed:

1. Lighthouse (Chrome DevTools)

Open your site in Chrome
Right-click → Inspect → Lighthouse tab
Run audit for Performance

Target scores:

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Under 2.5s
FID (First Input Delay): Under 100ms
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Under 0.1

Quick Wins Checklist:

✅ Compress all images under 500KB
✅ Remove unused components and variants
✅ Use CSS transforms for animations
✅ Limit Google Fonts to 2-3 weights
✅ Test with Lighthouse

Want components that are already optimized for performance? FramerHub components are built with speed in mind—so you don't have to worry about it.

Browse Performance-Optimized Components →