Ballast goes beyond Core Web Vitals scores. It traces the dependency chain behind every performance issue — telling you exactly what is slow, why it is slow, what depends on it, and precisely how to fix it.
Move analytics-bundle.js to </body> or add defer. This unblocks hero image load and reduces LCP by an estimated 2.1s. polyfill.min.js is unnecessary for Chrome 110+ — conditionally load only.
PageSpeed Insights tells you your LCP is 4.2 seconds. GTmetrix tells you your page weight is too high. Neither tells you which specific file is the root cause, what depends on it, what it depends on, or exactly what to change to fix it. Ballast does.
Maps the full dependency chain for every resource on the page — what each file depends on, what depends on it, and how that chain affects load sequence and render timing.
Root cause identificationIdentifies which resources block rendering, traces back to the source, and calculates how much time each element adds to LCP, FCP, and INP — before and after proposed fixes.
LCP / FCP / INP impactAnalyses resource payload at file level, identifies redundant code, unnecessary polyfills, and unused CSS — with specific removal or conditional loading recommendations per file.
Payload analysisAdvises exactly where each resource should be placed in the document for minimum crawl and compute cost — script defer, async, preload hints, and critical CSS inlining recommendations.
Load order guidanceFlags content that is invisible to AI crawlers — GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot — because it is only accessible after JavaScript renders. Identifies which elements in the dependency chain are causing the visibility block.
AI Search crawlabilityEach fix recommendation includes an estimated time saving, calculated from the dependency chain analysis. See the projected LCP improvement before you make a single code change.
Projected impact per fixBallast is a desktop application — not a dashboard subscription. You run it against a URL, get a complete dependency-mapped diagnostic, and act on specific file-level recommendations. No ongoing account, no data sent to a cloud platform.
Same architecture as Prism — lightweight Tauri binary, no Electron runtime, no cloud dependency. Runs on Windows. Your diagnostic data stays on your machine.
Windows primaryBallast is a tool you own, not a service you rent. No monthly fee to run a diagnostic. No data leaving your machine to a cloud provider. No per-report charge.
One-time licenceBallast flags content that is invisible to AI crawlers — GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot — due to JavaScript rendering order or load dependencies. No other speed tool connects performance to AI Search visibility.
AI Search angleYou need to know which file to change, where to move it, and why. Ballast gives you file-level answers, not dashboard metrics.
You need to brief developers accurately. Ballast produces specific, actionable recommendations you can hand directly to a dev team without interpretation.
You need to know if AI bots can actually read your content. Ballast connects load order and dependency chains directly to AI crawler visibility — a gap no other tool addresses.
The AI search landscape is shifting faster than most speed tools are built to track. Ballast is being developed with that in mind — a diagnostic tool that understands not just what slows a page down, but what that means for the AI crawlers that are increasingly deciding what gets cited.
Register your interest and you'll receive early access pricing and an invitation to beta test before public release.
