You scroll, start reading the headline, and then the hero image finally loads.

Boom.

The whole paragraph gets shoved down half a screen.

You lose your place, your brain sighs, and your website suddenly feels like it was assembled with duct tape and hope.

On slow connections, there is another version of the same pain: the layout stays still, but the image goes from a dead gray box to a sharp photo with a harsh visual pop. No easing. No warmth. Just vibes getting absolutely tackled.