Visitors decide quickly whether a page is worth waiting for. A faster site keeps people reading, helps with search rankings and makes your business look more professional. These seven fixes cover most of the gains.
1. Compress and resize images
Large photos are the most common cause of slow pages. Resize images to the size they are actually displayed, and use modern formats such as WebP where possible.
2. Lazy-load below-the-fold content
Images and videos further down the page do not need to load until someone scrolls to them. Lazy loading is built into modern browsers with a single attribute.
3. Use caching
Caching stores a ready-made copy of your pages so the server does not rebuild them for every visitor. On WordPress, a good caching plugin or server-level cache makes a big difference.
4. Minimise plugins and scripts
Every plugin and tracking script adds weight. Remove anything you do not use, and load non-essential scripts after the page has rendered.
5. Choose quality hosting
No amount of optimisation can fully fix an overloaded server. If your pages are slow even when they are simple, your hosting plan may be the bottleneck.
6. Use a CDN
A content delivery network serves your files from locations close to each visitor, which shortens load times, especially for an international audience.
7. Keep everything updated
Updated themes, plugins and PHP versions are usually faster and safer. Schedule a regular check rather than waiting for something to break.
Measure before and after
Run your site through a free speed testing tool before you change anything, then again afterwards, so you know which changes actually helped.
If your site needs a speed check, get in touch and we will take a look.