What is PLS by tab navigations
PLS by tab navigations breaks down your Perceived Load Speed (PLS) based on whether the page was opened in the same tab or in a new tab. This distinction helps surface how users perceive load time depending on how they initiate the navigation — whether it’s a seamless in-tab experience or a new-tab context switch.
This lens is especially helpful when analyzing journeys involving external links, marketing campaigns, or user-initiated new-tab behavior from menus or CTAs.
Healthy PLS by tab navigations sample
Should you worry
In an ideal scenario, perceived load speed should be consistently fast across both same-tab and new-tab navigations. However, new-tab loads often suffer due to lack of warm cache, slower context preparation, or a cold boot of scripts — making them feel slower.
If PLS is noticeably worse for new-tab navigations, you may be missing optimization opportunities for those cold-entry experiences. That lag in perceived speed can lead to lower engagement or quicker drop-offs.
Unhealthy PLS by tab navigations sample
When PLS is slower in new-tab navigations, it often signals unoptimized landing pages or cold-start bottlenecks like heavy fonts, unminified scripts, or delayed rendering. These sessions might not benefit from SPA-like transitions or speculative loading, which same-tab journeys often enjoy.
It’s worth addressing this, especially for acquisition pages or content commonly opened in new tabs — as these are high-impact moments that shape first impressions.
Resolving unhealthy PLS by tab navigations
Go-to action plan to resolve an unhealthy PLS by tab navigations:
Ask Uxi to analyze your PLS by tab navigations and suggest improvements.
Use Filters to focus on slower PLS sessions in new-tab navigations, then inspect the connected lenses like browser, country, or connection type.
Simulate LCP of the suspected lens to see if fixing it will resolve the PLS by tab navigations. If yes, this is where the resolution focus should be.
Use an automated optimization tool like Navigation AI to improve your PLS by tab navigations.
Once you’ve improved PLS, set an alert to be the first to know if it starts worsening again.
Try it yourself
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