Optimize Render-Blocking CSS Files

How to optimize learning.planet.org

WordPress SiteScore: 56/100Analyzed January 2026

Optimize Render-Blocking CSS Files

High Impact+18 points estimated

Why It Matters

Critical CSS files are blocking page rendering for 2.6 seconds, significantly delaying First Contentful Paint.

How to Fix

Use a WordPress optimization plugin like WP Rocket or Autoptimize to inline critical CSS. Move non-essential stylesheets like automatic.css to load after initial render using media='print' onload technique. Minify the automatic.css file which can save 3KB and reduce blocking time.

0Needs Improvement

What This Score Means

A score of 56 falls in the "Needs Improvement" range (50-89). While it is better than poor (0-49), you should aim for 90+ to provide an optimal user experience and maximize SEO benefits.

This site is slower than approximately 35% of similar sites. The main issues affecting performance are image optimization, JavaScript execution time, and layout stability.

Addressing these issues could improve your conversion rate by 15-20% and boost your search engine rankings.

Core Web Vitals Analysis

LCP

Largest Contentful Paint

13.5s
Poor

Good: < 2.5s

Measures how long it takes for the main content to appear on screen

INP

Interaction to Next Paint

131ms
Good

Good: < 200ms

Measures how quickly the page responds to user interactions

CLS

Cumulative Layout Shift

0.05
Good

Good: < 0.1

Measures visual stability - how much content shifts during page load

AI Performance Analysis

This WordPress site has severe performance issues with a score of 56/100. The biggest problem is multiple page redirects that are adding an enormous 8.1 seconds of delay before the page even starts loading, causing your First Contentful Paint to take 9.2 seconds and Largest Contentful Paint to reach 13.5 seconds. Fixing these redirects would provide the single largest improvement, followed by addressing render-blocking CSS files that are adding another 2.6 seconds of delay. The site is also loading 106 KB of unused JavaScript and has inefficient caching, but eliminating those redirects should be your top priority as it would dramatically improve Core Web Vitals scores.

Other Optimization Recommendations

Eliminate Page Redirects Immediately

High Impact+25 points estimated

Why It Matters:

Multiple redirects are adding 8.1 seconds delay to both LCP and FCP, causing the most severe performance impact.

How to Fix:

Check your WordPress site URL settings in wp-admin and ensure they match your actual domain. Update any hardcoded URLs in your theme or plugins. Use a redirect mapper plugin to identify and fix redirect chains, then update internal links to point directly to final destinations.

Remove Unused JavaScript Resources

Medium Impact+12 points estimated

Why It Matters:

106KB of unused JavaScript is blocking page load and delaying LCP by over 1 second.

How to Fix:

Audit the Bricks theme JavaScript (80% unused) and html2canvas library usage. Use conditional loading to only load html2canvas when needed. Configure your WordPress caching plugin to defer non-critical scripts, and consider using code splitting for the Bricks theme assets.

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