Page Speed Optimization Guide: Core Web Vitals
Page speed is a Google ranking factor and a conversion factor. A 1-second delay in load time reduces conversions by 7%. This guide covers the 6 highest-impact fixes to speed up your website.
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Test your current scores at pagespeed.web.dev before making changes. This gives you a baseline and shows which specific issues to fix first.
6 High-Impact Speed Fixes
1. Optimize Images
Images are the #1 cause of slow pages. Convert to WebP format (30–50% smaller than JPEG/PNG), compress before uploading, and use lazy loading for images below the fold.
How to fix it: Use Squoosh.app (free) to compress and convert images. In WordPress, use ShortPixel or Imagify plugins. Add loading='lazy' attribute to images below the fold.
2. Enable Browser Caching
Browser caching stores static files (images, CSS, JS) locally on visitors' devices. Returning visitors load your site much faster because they don't re-download unchanged files.
How to fix it: In WordPress: install WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache. On Nginx servers: add cache-control headers. On Apache: add .htaccess rules for expires headers.
3. Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network)
A CDN stores copies of your site on servers worldwide. Visitors load your site from the nearest server, dramatically reducing load times for international visitors.
How to fix it: Cloudflare (free tier available) is the easiest option. Add your site to Cloudflare, update your DNS, and enable their CDN. Takes about 30 minutes to set up.
4. Minimize JavaScript
JavaScript is often the biggest performance bottleneck. Unused JavaScript, render-blocking scripts, and large libraries slow down page load significantly.
How to fix it: Use Chrome DevTools Coverage tab to find unused JavaScript. Remove unused plugins in WordPress. Defer non-critical JavaScript with the 'defer' attribute. Consider replacing jQuery with vanilla JS.
5. Minify CSS and HTML
Minification removes whitespace, comments, and unnecessary characters from CSS and HTML files, reducing their size by 10–30%.
How to fix it: WordPress: WP Rocket or Autoptimize handle this automatically. For custom sites: use tools like CSSNano and HTMLMinifier in your build process.
6. Upgrade Your Hosting
Cheap shared hosting is often the root cause of slow sites. A VPS or dedicated server with LiteSpeed web server can reduce Time to First Byte (TTFB) from 2+ seconds to under 200ms.
How to fix it: Consider upgrading to a managed VPS with LiteSpeed. Metorox's managed hosting starts at $47/mo and includes LiteSpeed, SSL, daily backups, and 24-hour monitoring.
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