We’ve all done it. You tap a link, stare at a blank screen for a few seconds, then give up and hit back. Your customers do exactly the same thing on your website.
Speed matters for two big reasons. People are impatient, especially on their phones. And Google takes page experience into account when deciding how to rank websites.
What Google measures
Google uses a set of measurements called Core Web Vitals to judge how a page feels to use. In plain English:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – how quickly the main content appears. Aim for under 2.5 seconds.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP) – how quickly the page responds when someone taps or clicks. Aim for under 200 milliseconds.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – how much things jump around while the page loads. Aim for under 0.1.
You can check your own site for free using Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Pop in your web address and it’ll give you scores for mobile and desktop.
The usual suspects
When we look at slow websites, the same problems come up again and again.
Huge images
This is the big one. A photo straight off a phone can be several megabytes. Resize images to the size they’re actually shown at, compress them and use modern formats like WebP.
Too many plugins
Every plugin adds a bit of weight. Have a clear-out of anything you don’t use, and replace heavy plugins with lighter alternatives where you can.
Cheap hosting
Budget hosting often means sharing a slow server with hundreds of other sites. Good website hosting makes a noticeable difference.
No caching
Caching saves ready-made copies of your pages so they don’t have to be built from scratch every time. It’s one of the quickest wins there is.
Things jumping around
Adverts, cookie banners and images without set sizes can push content around as the page loads. Reserve space for them so the layout stays put.
Keep it quick
Speed isn’t a one-off job. New content, plugins and updates can slow things down over time. It’s worth checking your site every few months – or letting someone else do it for you. Our website care plans include regular checks and updates to keep your site fast and secure.