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Under the hood

The anatomy of a fast page. Labelled.

Speed isn't a mystery. It's a set of deliberate technical decisions, made page by page. Here's what's actually happening inside an Uplink build.

Fig. 1 · a typical Uplink page

Five regions, five tactics.

  • Header

    Zero blocking scripts

  • Hero

    Critical CSS inlined

  • Content

    Streamed HTML

header
footer
  • Images

    Lazy · next-gen formats

  • Footer

    Deferred load

Six deliberate choices

The tech stack, decoded.

01

No CMS runtime

Every page is pre-rendered HTML. Zero database queries on the critical path.

02

Edge delivery

Served from a CDN node next to the visitor. European sites hit local edges.

03

Lazy-loaded images

Next-gen formats, responsive sizing, decoded off the main thread.

04

Minimal JavaScript

We ship what each page needs. No framework bundle tax.

05

Aggressive caching

Long-lived immutable asset caches. Repeat visitors get the page before TCP even warms up.

06

Critical CSS inlined

Above-the-fold styling ships in the HTML document itself.

Spec sheet · Uplink vs WordPress

Same job, different architecture.

LayerUplinkWordPress typical
RuntimeCompiled HTMLPHP + MySQL every request
AssetsMinified · cached · immutableTheme + 30 plugins
JavaScript< 20KB per page> 300KB typical
Database queries0 on hot path30–80 per request
Time to byte< 150ms500–1500ms

FAQ

Questions about fast websites

Common questions from business owners considering a speed-first build.

How fast is fast, exactly?+

For most sites we build, First Contentful Paint is under 800ms, Largest Contentful Paint is under 1.5s, and PageSpeed mobile scores stay above 95 — consistently, not just on launch day.

Can I still update the content?+

Yes. You email us the change and we make it — usually within a business day. You get the maintenance of a managed service without the speed penalty of a CMS.

Why not just use WordPress?+

WordPress can be fast, but it takes continuous work to keep it fast. Plugins bloat over time, themes introduce regressions, and every update risks breaking something. Hand-built means no ongoing speed tax.

What about Core Web Vitals?+

Our default build passes all three Core Web Vitals targets (LCP, CLS, INP) with room to spare. Google uses these as a ranking signal, so a fast site genuinely helps your SEO.

Can you optimize my existing site?+

Sometimes. If your site is on WordPress or a similar CMS, we can often make it noticeably faster — but the biggest wins come from rebuilding without the CMS overhead. We'll tell you which option makes sense for you.

Contact

Let's build you a fast site

Tell us what you have today and we'll show you what a speed-first build could look like.

Get started

Usually answered within one business day.