A slow website costs you twice: visitors give up, and Google ranks you lower. The good news is that most slow WordPress sites are slow for the same handful of reasons, and most of them can be fixed. Here’s what Google actually measures and the fixes that make the biggest difference.
The short version: Google judges speed with three Core Web Vitals. Pass all three for at least 75% of visits and you’re in good shape.
- LCP (loading): main content visible in under 2.5 seconds.
- INP (responsiveness): the page reacts to taps and clicks in under 200 milliseconds.
- CLS (stability): the layout barely shifts as it loads, a score under 0.1.
What Google measures
Google measures these using real visits from Chrome users, not just a lab test, and looks at the 75th percentile. In other words, three out of four visits need to be “good”. INP replaced the older First Input Delay measure in March 2024, and it’s the one many sites now fail, because it counts every interaction, not just the first.
You can see your scores for free in Google Search Console under “Core Web Vitals”, or by putting your address into PageSpeed Insights.
The fixes that make the biggest difference
1. Better hosting
If your server takes a second to respond, everything else starts a second late. Cheap shared hosting is the most common cause of slow WordPress sites we see. Good managed hosting with caching and a CDN like Cloudflare usually makes the single biggest improvement.
2. Fix the main image (LCP)
- Don’t lazy-load the main hero image. It needs to load first.
- Use a properly sized, compressed image in WebP or AVIF format.
- Avoid sliders that need JavaScript before the first slide appears.
3. Cut back on scripts (INP)
Chat widgets, tag managers, pop-ups and page builders all add JavaScript that competes for the browser’s attention. Each one feels small. Together, they make the page sluggish when someone taps a button. Remove anything you don’t use and load the rest only where it’s needed.
4. Stop the page jumping about (CLS)
- Give every image and video a width and height so space is reserved.
- Reserve space for cookie banners, adverts and embeds.
- Host your fonts yourself and preload the main ones.
5. Fewer, better plugins
It’s not the number of plugins that matters so much as what they do. One badly written plugin that loads on every page can undo all your other work. Review them every few months and remove anything you can live without.
6. Move off heavy page builders
Page builders made WordPress easier to design with, but many add a lot of code. WordPress’s own block editor and full-site editing now do most of what people used builders for, with far less weight.
Quick checks you can do today
- Run your homepage through PageSpeed Insights on mobile and note the three Core Web Vitals.
- Look at Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report for groups of failing pages.
- List your plugins and ask what each one is for.
- Check your hosting plan: is there caching and a CDN?
How we can help
We build every site to pass Google’s “good” Core Web Vitals, and our managed hosting includes Cloudflare, caching and tuned servers. If your existing site is slow, our speed fix service starts at £395 + VAT.
Questions people ask
What is a good page speed score?
Google’s Core Web Vitals are what count: LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200 milliseconds and CLS under 0.1, for at least 75% of visits.
Does site speed affect Google rankings?
Yes. Core Web Vitals are part of Google’s page experience signals. Speed also has a big effect on whether visitors stay and get in touch.
What is INP?
Interaction to Next Paint measures how quickly a page responds to taps, clicks and key presses throughout a visit. It replaced First Input Delay in March 2024.
Will a caching plugin fix my slow site?
It can help, but it can’t make up for slow hosting, huge images or heavy scripts. Caching works best as part of a wider fix.