Slow sites lose visitors and rankings. Google uses page experience signals, and users leave when pages take too long. Try these 12 fixes.
- Use a lightweight theme. Heavy page-builder themes add a lot of code.
- Install a caching plugin. Page caching serves ready-made pages instead of rebuilding them.
- Optimise images. Resize before uploading and use compressed formats such as WebP.
- Lazy-load images so below-the-fold pictures load later.
- Use a current PHP version. Switch it in cPanel if your site supports it.
- Remove unused plugins. Every plugin adds load.
- Limit external scripts such as many fonts, widgets and trackers.
- Minify and combine CSS and JS with a trusted optimisation plugin.
- Clean the database. Remove old revisions, spam comments and transients.
- Use a CDN for global audiences.
- Enable HTTPS with HTTP/2. See SSL guide.
- Choose good hosting. If you have done everything else, you may need more resources. Compare shared and VPS.
How to measure speed
Test with Google PageSpeed Insights and compare before and after. Change one thing at a time.
Why speed matters for rankings and revenue
Google measures real-user experience through Core Web Vitals: loading (Largest Contentful Paint), interactivity (Interaction to Next Paint) and visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift). Slow, jumpy pages make visitors leave, and fewer people complete purchases or contact forms. Speed will not fix poor content, but it removes a handicap.
Find the real bottleneck first
- Run PageSpeed Insights on your homepage and a key inner page.
- Look at the "Opportunities" list and focus on the largest savings.
- Check server response time (TTFB). A high TTFB points to hosting, caching or heavy plugins rather than images.
- Use your browser's network tab to see which files are largest.
Images: the most common problem
- Never upload a 4000-pixel photo for a 800-pixel slot.
- Use modern formats like WebP where supported.
- Compress to a reasonable quality (70-80% is usually invisible).
- Always set width and height to avoid layout shift.
Plugins and themes
Quality matters more than quantity. One well-built plugin can be lighter than three small ones. Avoid plugins that load scripts on every page when they are only needed on one. Test performance after each addition. Page builders add convenience but also weight; for a simple site, a lightweight theme with native blocks is faster.
Caching explained
Page caching stores finished HTML so PHP does not run for every visit. Browser caching lets visitors reuse files they already downloaded. Object caching reduces repeated database queries on busy sites. Use one good caching solution and configure it properly rather than stacking several.
When hosting is the limit
If your optimised site is still slow at peak times, consider upgrading your plan or moving to a VPS. Read shared vs VPS, and check our plans.
FAQ
What is a good page load time?
Aim for the main content to appear in under 2.5 seconds on mobile (Google's Largest Contentful Paint guideline).
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