Do you feel the need for speed? You should—because site speed directly impacts SEO, conversions and user experience.
A jump in page load time from one second to three seconds increases bounce rates by 32%. At five seconds, the chance of a user leaving rises to 90%. And with Google’s Core Web Vitals now affecting search rankings, a slow site can cost you visibility and customers.
Here are seven quick and effective fixes to boost your website speed and keep visitors engaged.
1. Understanding website speed optimisation.
What is page speed and why is it important?
Page speed refers to the time it takes for a web page to load when a user visits a website. It’s a crucial aspect of website performance and user experience. A slow-loading web page can lead to high bounce rates, decreased engagement and negatively impact search engine rankings. On the flip side, a fast-loading web page can enhance user experience, increase conversions and boost search engine rankings.
Page speed is important because it directly affects how users interact with a website. A slow-loading site can frustrate users, leading to a negative experience and potentially causing them to abandon the site. In contrast, a fast-loading site can provide a seamless and engaging experience, encouraging users to stay and explore further.
Core Web Vitals: what you need to know.
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the performance and user experience of a website. They include:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): measures the time it takes for the main content of a page to load
- First Input Delay (FID): measures the time it takes for a page to respond to a user’s first interaction
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): measures the stability of a page’s layout as it loads.
Core Web Vitals are essential because they provide a comprehensive understanding of a website’s performance and user experience. By optimising for Core Web Vitals, website owners can improve the overall performance and user experience of their site, leading to increased engagement, conversions and search engine rankings.
Run a website speed test for Core Web Vitals.
Before making changes, you need to diagnose the problem.
Use free tools like:
- Google PageSpeed Insights – analyses site speed for desktop & mobile, plus gives improvement suggestions
- GTmetrix – provides detailed insights on load time, Core Web Vitals and performance bottlenecks
- Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report – tracks real user experience data.
✅ Pro tip: aim for a First Contentful Paint (FCP) under 1.8 seconds and a Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) under 2.5 seconds to keep users engaged.
RELATED: How to optimise your website and Google Business Profile for local SEO.
2. Compress and optimise images.
Large image files slow down page loading, especially on mobile.
Best image practices:
✔ Use next-gen formats like WebP (instead of PNG/JPG) for smaller, high-quality images
✔ Keep image sizes under 200KB for optimal speed
✔ Set dimensions properly – full-screen images: 1500px–2500px wide; other images: max 800px wide
✔ Enable lazy loading so images load only when needed.
✅ Pro tip: use free tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh to compress images without losing quality.
3. Enable browser caching.
Caching stores a static version of your website so visitors don’t have to reload everything from scratch.
Types of caching to enable:
✔ Browser caching – stores assets like images and stylesheets on a visitor’s device
✔ Server caching – speeds up repeat visits by reducing processing time
✔ Plugin-based caching – tools like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache automate the process.
✅ Pro tip: check if your hosting provider offers built-in caching (many do).
4. Upgrade your web hosting.
A slow host = poor site performance.
If your site experiences lag or downtime, it might be time to switch to a faster hosting plan.
Hosting options:
✔ Shared hosting – affordable but slower (avoid for high-traffic sites)
✔ VPS hosting – a balance of speed & cost
✔ Dedicated hosting – best performance, ideal for eCommerce or high-traffic businesses.
✅ Pro tip: choose a host with SSD storage, built-in caching and a CDN for top performance.
Improve server response time.
Server response time refers to the time it takes for a server to respond to a user’s request. Improving server response time is crucial for website performance and user experience.
Here are some ways to enhance server response time:
- Upgrade to a faster hosting plan: consider upgrading to a plan that can handle increased traffic and provide quicker server response times
- Optimise server configuration: fine-tune your server configuration to reduce the time it takes for the server to respond to requests
- Use a content delivery network (CDN): a CDN can help reduce server response time by caching content and reducing the distance between users and the server.
5. Minimise and optimise website code.
Messy or excessive code, including numerous CSS and JavaScript files, slows down load times.
Easy fixes:
✔ Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML – free tools like Autoptimize can do this automatically
✔ Reduce unused JavaScript – prevents slow rendering
✔ Eliminate bloated page builders that add unnecessary code.
✅ Pro tip: check your time to first byte (TTFB) in a speed test—if it’s slow, your server may be the issue.
Optimise JavaScript loading.
JavaScript files can significantly impact page load speed. Here are some ways to optimise JavaScript loading:
- Minify and compress JavaScript files: reduces their size and improves page load speed
- Use asynchronous loading: allows JavaScript files to load in the background, reducing the impact on page load speed
- Defer loading: loads JavaScript files after the initial page load, reducing the impact on performance.
By optimising JavaScript loading, website owners can improve page load speed, reduce bounce rates, and enhance user experience.
6. Use a content delivery network (CDN).
A CDN stores copies of your website on multiple servers worldwide, ensuring that your pages load quickly by delivering content from the nearest server to your visitor. This drastically reduces loading times, especially for global audiences.
Best CDN options:
✔ Cloudflare CDN (popular & free)
✔ Google Cloud CDN
✔ Amazon CloudFront
✅ Pro tip: many website hosts offer built-in CDNs—check if yours does before buying a separate one.
7. Reduce plugin overload.
Too many plugins can bloat your WordPress site and slow it down.
✔ Delete unused plugins
✔ Replace heavy plugins with lightweight alternatives
✔ Limit page builders that add extra code.
✅ Pro tip: use Query Monitor to identify which plugins are slowing your site down.
Speed up & stay competitive.
Site speed is no longer optional—it’s a critical part of SEO, user experience and conversion rates. By implementing these seven quick fixes, you’ll see a significant boost in performance, engagement and search rankings.
