Third-party requests are HTTP calls your browser makes to external servers — for tracking pixels, web fonts, ad scripts, video embeds, social widgets, and more. Every request takes time, and your page cannot fully load until these requests complete.  Google PageSpeed Insights flags excessive third-party requests as a key performance issue. They increase load time, raise your Time to First Byte, and make your page dependent on the reliability of external servers you do not control. 

Why reducing them matters:

fewer requests means faster page load, less reliance on third-party uptime means more consistent performance, and reduced data sharing with external servers improves privacy. 

How to reduce third-party requests:
Use WebPageTest or Chrome DevTools to audit all external calls. Remove widgets, scripts, and embeds you no longer need. Self-host web fonts and common JavaScript libraries where possible. Lazy load non-critical embeds like YouTube videos — only load them when a user scrolls near them.  The most impactful fix is switching to server-side tagging. Instead of the browser sending separate requests to Google, Meta, TikTok, and others, your server handles all of that in one place.

Seers.ai’s server-side tagging consolidates your tracking into a single server endpoint — significantly reducing the number of third-party requests your visitors’ browsers make.