What the data shows for YouTube
The numbers here come from third-party-web, an open dataset by Patrick Hulce. It is built from HTTP Archive, which tests millions of pages with Google Lighthouse on mobile settings. Lighthouse records how long each script keeps the browser's main thread busy. The dataset adds that up for each company and divides by the number of pages that use it.
We used third-party-web version 0.30.0, published in September 2026, with the HTTP Archive crawl from March 1, 2026. For YouTube it reports:
- Average script execution time: 6,297 ms per page.
- Usage: 1,300,771 pages in the crawl.
That puts YouTube near the top of the whole dataset. Other video players are heavy too: the same crawl shows Wistia at 5,003 ms and Vimeo at 4,099 ms. For comparison, Google Tag Manager is 1,066 ms and CallRail is 255 ms. See the full list in third-party scripts and landing page speed.
A fair note on the number
The dataset's own notes say that since its January 2021 data, work inside embedded frames, like the YouTube player, is counted on the main thread. On a real phone, some of that work may run apart from your page. Even so, the player still has to download and start up, and the number tells you the embed is a big job.
What script execution time means for a phone visitor
A phone browser does most of its work in one lane, called the main thread. That lane builds the page, runs scripts, and answers taps. Only one job runs there at a time.
Google's Lighthouse docs say that when the main thread is busy, the page can't respond to user input. Lighthouse also warns when JavaScript on a page takes longer than 2 seconds to run. Google's Interaction to Next Paint (INP), a Core Web Vital, rates a tap's wait as good at 200 ms or less and poor above 500 ms.
A standard embed starts loading the player the moment the page opens, whether or not anyone presses play. Most visitors to a contractor ad page never do. They scroll, look for the price or the phone number, and call or leave.
How to load YouTube the smart way
Video works. A 30-second clip of your crew tearing off a roof or a before-and-after of a basement can do more than a paragraph of text. Keep it. Change how it loads.
1. Use a facade
Google's Lighthouse docs describe a facade as a static element that looks like the embedded third party but is not functional, and so is much less taxing on page load. For YouTube, it is a thumbnail with a play button. The real player loads only when someone taps it.
Google's docs list open-source YouTube facades, including lite-youtube-embed by Paul Irish. The third-party-web project tracks the same facades, and Lighthouse uses that data to flag embeds that could use one.
2. Put the video below the call to action
Your headline, phone number, and form should come first. A video near the top pushes the important parts down and makes them wait. Put it under the first call to action, as proof for people who want more.
3. One video, not a gallery
Each embed is its own player. Three embeds on one page is three jobs. Pick your best clip. Link to your YouTube channel for the rest.
If the video is mostly there for trust, ask whether a strong photo of your crew on a real job could do part of that work. A photo needs no player at all. Keep the video if people watch it.
Check the page before and after
Scan the page with the normal embed, swap in a facade, then scan again. The difference is often easy to see.
ClickMend checks the page your Google Ad sends people to. It gives a 0 to 100 score that blends Google PageSpeed Insights performance (40%), Core Web Vitals (25%), SEO basics (20%), best practices (10%), and accessibility (5%). It names unused JavaScript and other slow parts, so a heavy embed shows up. It also checks that your Google Ads conversion tag is on the page and loaded.
Scan the landing page free, 2 scans a week, no card. For trade-specific page advice, see roofing landing pages and Google Ads for contractors.
Frequently asked questions
Should I remove the video from my Google Ads landing page?
Not if it helps people trust you. Keep it, but load the player only when someone taps play. Most visitors never press play, so most visits skip the cost.
What is a YouTube facade?
Google's Lighthouse docs describe a facade as a static element that looks like the embed but is not functional, so it is much less taxing on page load. It loads the real player on tap. lite-youtube-embed is one open-source option Google lists.
Are Vimeo or Wistia lighter?
Not in this data. The same crawl shows Vimeo at 4,099 ms and Wistia at 5,003 ms per page. Video embeds in general are heavy, so the facade idea applies to all of them.
Where does the 6,297 ms number come from?
From third-party-web version 0.30.0 by Patrick Hulce, built on the HTTP Archive crawl of March 1, 2026, across 1,300,771 pages that load YouTube.