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[Speed] Add comprehensive slow website troubleshooting guide#30878

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[Speed] Add comprehensive slow website troubleshooting guide#30878
ngayerie wants to merge 12 commits into
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ngayerie/SPM-2864

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Summary

Adds a comprehensive troubleshooting guide for diagnosing and resolving slow website performance issues.

Problem

Users often report "my website is slow" without understanding how to identify the root cause. There was no dedicated guide walking users through the diagnostic process from basic to advanced techniques.

Solution

Created /speed/troubleshooting-slow-website/ - a step-by-step guide that progresses from beginner to advanced:

Step Topic Audience
1 Identify slow assets with browser dev tools Beginner
2 Use Observatory and understand results Beginner
3 Analyze origin performance Intermediate
4 Use curl --write-out for detailed timing Intermediate
5 Investigate caching with Cache Analytics Intermediate
6 Diagnose network issues (speed.cloudflare.com, MTR) Advanced
7 Understand network routing and Argo Advanced

Key messages:

  • Identify specific slow requests (not just "my site is slow")
  • Understand the difference between network slowness vs application slowness
  • Leverage Cloudflare tools: Observatory, Cache Analytics, Origin Analytics
  • Use diagnostic tools: curl timing, MTR, traceroute
  • Understand how routing affects performance and how Argo helps

Ticket

  • SPM-2864

Creates a new troubleshooting page that guides users through:
- Identifying specific slow assets (not just 'my site is slow')
- Using Observatory to analyze performance and enable optimizations
- Analyzing origin performance with Origin Analytics
- Using curl --write-out for detailed timing metrics
- Investigating cache status with Cache Analytics
- Diagnosing network issues with speed.cloudflare.com and MTR
- Understanding network routing and how Argo Smart Routing helps

The guide progresses from basic (browser dev tools) to advanced
(MTR, curl timing) to serve both non-technical and technical users.

Addresses SPM-2864
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This pull request requires reviews from CODEOWNERS as it changes files that match the following patterns:

Pattern Owners
/src/content/docs/speed/ @cloudflare/product-owners

@ask-bonk ask-bonk Bot added documentation Documentation edits content:new Request for new/missing content labels May 18, 2026
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8 suggestions posted. Key issues: unused import, style guide violations (keyboard shortcuts, gerund headings, dashboard links), and missing number/unit spacing.

Comment thread src/content/docs/speed/troubleshooting/slow-website.mdx Outdated
Comment thread src/content/docs/speed/troubleshooting/slow-website.mdx Outdated
Comment thread src/content/docs/speed/troubleshooting/slow-website.mdx Outdated
Comment thread src/content/docs/speed/troubleshooting/slow-website.mdx Outdated
Comment thread src/content/docs/speed/troubleshooting/slow-website.mdx Outdated
Comment thread src/content/docs/speed/troubleshooting/slow-website.mdx Outdated
Comment thread src/content/docs/speed/troubleshooting/slow-website.mdx Outdated
Comment thread src/content/docs/speed/troubleshooting/slow-website.mdx

1. Go to the [Cloudflare dashboard](https://dash.cloudflare.com/?to=/:account/:zone/traffic).
2. Select **Argo Smart Routing**.
3. Enable the feature.
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Use turn on instead of enable for toggle actions per the terminology guide:

Suggested change
3. Enable the feature.
3. Turn on the feature.


[Argo Smart Routing](/argo-smart-routing/) analyzes network conditions in real-time and routes traffic over the fastest paths, reducing latency by an average of 30%.

1. Go to the [Cloudflare dashboard](https://dash.cloudflare.com/?to=/:account/:zone/traffic).
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Use DashButton for validated dashboard deeplinks instead of bare markdown links:

Suggested change
1. Go to the [Cloudflare dashboard](https://dash.cloudflare.com/?to=/:account/:zone/traffic).
1. Go to the Cloudflare dashboard.
<DashButton url="/?to=/:account/:zone/traffic" />

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ask-bonk Bot commented May 18, 2026

Review posted on PR #30878

Labels applied: documentation, content:new

PR Summary:
Adds a new troubleshooting guide (/speed/troubleshooting-slow-website/) that walks users through diagnosing slow website performance using browser dev tools, Observatory, curl timing, Cache Analytics, MTR, and Argo Smart Routing. It is a single new MDX file (+319 lines) with frontmatter, component imports, and 7 numbered step sections.

Verdict: 8 inline suggestions posted. No build-breaking issues, but several style guide violations need attention before merge.

Issues flagged:

  • MEDIUM — Unused Render component import (line 14) and missing DashButton import for dashboard links
  • MEDIUM — Keyboard shortcut F12 used in a procedural step (style guide prohibits keyboard shortcuts)
  • MEDIUM — Three bare dashboard deeplinks (lines 58, 172, 284) should use the DashButton component (mandatory per component conventions)
  • MEDIUM — Gerund phrase in heading: ### Understanding the metrics should be ### Understand the metrics
  • MEDIUM — Toggle terminology: Enable the feature should be Turn on the feature
  • LOW — Missing spaces between numbers and units: 800ms800 ms, 200ms200 ms
  • LOW — Two tables lack introductory sentences ending in a colon

Note for maintainers:
The claim that Argo Smart Routing "reducing latency by an average of 30%" (line 282) should be verified against the current Argo product page or attributed to a source if not already substantiated elsewhere in the docs.

github run

- Moved troubleshooting-slow-website.mdx to troubleshooting/slow-website.mdx
- Moved troubleshooting.mdx to troubleshooting/index.mdx
- Updated index to use DirectoryListing component
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This PR requires additional review attention because it affects the following areas:

Redirects

This PR changes current filenames or deletes current files. Make sure you have redirects set up to cover the following paths:

  • /speed/troubleshooting/

- Remove deprecated Auto Minify reference
- Update Origin Analytics location to Speed > Origin Analytics
- Remove 'Using a CDN for static assets' (covered in cache section)
- Expand caching intro to explain why caching improves performance
- Split cache section into 'Investigate why not cached' and 'Cache additional content'
- Update Argo section to mention Smart Shield and correct enable links
ngayerie and others added 7 commits May 18, 2026 16:27
Restores the original behavior that lists all faq/troubleshooting
pages from the entire speed directory, not just the troubleshooting
folder.
…ng troubleshooting

Based on support case analysis:
- Added prominent section at the start to verify cf-ray header and DNS proxy status
- Expanded Step 7 with 'Troubleshoot unexpected routing' subsection
- Corrected routing information: Cloudflare prioritizes reliability over proximity
- Added plan-based routing differences (Enterprise vs other plans)
- Added link to geographic-traffic-routing troubleshooting page
- Updated summary checklist to include verification step
- Remove plan-based routing information
- Remove 'What you can do' column from table
- Rename 'Likely cause' to 'Explanation'
- Move 'Normal behavior' note into explanation for routing changes
- /speed/optimization/content/brotli/ -> /speed/optimization/content/compression/
- /cache/how-to/cache-rules/examples/ignore-set-cookie-header/ -> /cache/concepts/cache-behavior/#interaction-of-set-cookie-response-header-with-cache
Co-authored-by: ask-bonk[bot] <249159057+ask-bonk[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
@ngayerie ngayerie requested a review from a team as a code owner May 18, 2026 16:39
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