What is PLS by hour of the day
PLS by hour of the day shows how Perceived Load Speed (PLS) varies at different times throughout the day.
This breakdown helps you identify whether perceived performance issues arise during peak traffic, cache refresh windows, or backend processing times. Since PLS reflects how fast a page feels to users, tracking it by hour highlights when the site may seem slower — even if technical metrics remain stable.
PLS by hour of the day sample
Should you worry
In a healthy view, PLS stays fast and consistent across all hours. Small variations are natural, but none that push into the range where the site feels sluggish.
A healthy setup typically shows:
PLS values consistently fast across the day.
No major differences between peak and off-peak hours.
Infrastructure and CDN caching keeping user experience steady.
If PLS remains smooth, time of day isn’t negatively impacting user perception of speed.
Unhealthy PLS by hour of the day
If PLS slows down during certain hours, it suggests users feel the site is less responsive at those times.
Common causes include:
Traffic surges increasing perceived slowness during peak usage.
Cache invalidations or refreshes leaving users with slower loads.
Batch jobs or server processes competing for resources at set times.
Third-party content (ads, analytics, widgets) responding slower in business hours.
These patterns can make the site feel unpredictable depending on when users visit.
Resolving unhealthy PLS by hour of the day
Go-to action plan to resolve an unhealthy PLS by hour of the day:
Ask Uxi to analyze your PLS by hour of the day and suggest improvements.
Use Filters to see if perceived slowness clusters by geography, device, or traffic type.
Simulate LCP of the suspected breakdown to see if fixing it will resolve the PLS by hour of the day. If yes, this is where the resolution focus should be.
Use an automated optimization tool like Navigation AI to improve your PLS by hour of the day.
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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