Give a small page a small request budget

Count the supporting work

A page may request a style sheet, fonts, images and scripts after its main document arrives. Each dependency introduces another piece of work and possibly another origin. A page with a small document is not necessarily a small visit.

Begin with resources that carry a clear purpose. Local styles and a modest illustration are often enough for a reference page; an extra dependency should improve the reading experience in a way that is easy to describe.

Make the first screen useful

Readable text should not depend on a decorative image finishing first. Give images dimensions so the surrounding text has a stable place to sit. Keep navigation visible and let the content column adapt to a narrow screen.

These choices help readers with slower connections as well as readers using a small device. They also make a partially loaded page less confusing.

Review the finished visit

Open a few different pages, follow the internal links and look at a narrow viewport. Check that illustrations explain something, headings describe their sections and the missing-page response is clear. A budget is useful when it guides these choices, rather than becoming a target number detached from the page's purpose.