How to Improve Website Speed

A slow website costs visitors, inquiries and search visibility. The good news: a few changes usually make most of the difference. Here they are, roughly in order of impact.

Measure first

Use Google PageSpeed Insights and the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console. Focus on three metrics: LCP (how fast the main content appears, aim for 2.5 seconds or less), INP (how quickly the page responds to taps, aim for 200 ms or less) and CLS (how much the layout jumps, aim for 0.1 or less).

1. Optimise images

Images are usually the heaviest part of a page. Resize them to the size they’re displayed at, use modern formats like WebP or AVIF, and lazy-load images below the fold. Don’t lazy-load the main hero image, it should load first.

2. Reduce third-party scripts

Chat widgets, trackers, heatmaps and embedded feeds each add weight. Remove what you don’t use and load the rest after the main content.

3. Use caching and a CDN

Browser caching and a content delivery network serve files faster and from closer to your visitors.

4. Self-host and limit fonts

Use one or two font families, host them yourself, and use font-display: swap so text appears immediately.

5. Remove unused CSS and JavaScript

Page builders and themes often load code for features you don’t use. A lean, custom build avoids this entirely.

6. Reserve space for images and embeds

Setting width and height (or aspect ratio) prevents layout shift as content loads.

7. Improve hosting

Cheap shared hosting can be the bottleneck. A good host with server-level caching often gives an instant improvement.

8. Rethink the build

If the site is built on a heavy theme or builder, optimisation has limits. A rebuild with a performance-first approach, lean WordPress or Next.js, may be the most effective fix.

Our web development work treats speed as a feature from the start, and our maintenance plans keep it that way. Request a free audit to see where your site stands.