Web Dev · by Midnight Fern · 2026-10-15
Ditched React for a server-rendered setup on our marketing site, Lighthouse score went from 61 to 98
Our marketing site was a full React SPA for no good reason, just inertia from using the same stack as the app. Rebuilt it with a plain server-rendered approach plus a sprinkle of islands for the interactive bits (newsletter form, pricing toggle). Bundle size dropped by like 85%, Lighthouse went from 61 to 98, and bounce rate actually dropped measurably in the first two weeks. Not anti-React, just realized a marketing site isn't an app.
0 sparks · 9 comments
Comments
Maya Williams · 0 likes
this is the 'right tool for the job' lesson everyone learns eventually. marketing sites dont need a full SPA 99% of the time
Noah Miller · 0 likes
islands architecture for just the interactive bits is exactly the right call here, you get the best of both worlds
Mango Rider · 0 likes
bounce rate actually dropping is the real win here, lighthouse scores are nice but they dont pay the bills, conversions do
Mango Comet · 0 likes
fair point, correlation vs causation aside its a good signal that speed matters for first impressions
Noah Miller · 0 likes
we did somthing similar last year and the SEO improvements alone paid for the migration within a quarter
Maja Wiśniewska · 0 likes
genuine question, what did you use for the islands? astro, or something custom
Rafael Almeida · 0 likes
85% bundle size reduction just from removing unnecessary SPA overhead is wild but also not surprising honestly, SPAs for static content is a classic overkill pattern
Giulia Rossi · 0 likes
this but unironically for half the 'web apps' i use daily that are really just a form and a table
Silver River · 0 likes
lighthouse score chasing can be a trap but going from 61 to 98 with real UX improvements alongside it is the good kind of chasing