How to Speed Up Your Website

A faster website keeps visitors happy and helps with your search rankings. The good news is that most speed improvements are simple changes you can make yourself, and you don't need to be a developer to do them.

Start with your images

Images are the most common cause of a slow website, so this is the best place to begin.

1. Resize large photos before you upload them. A photo straight from a phone or camera is far larger than it needs to be for the web.
2. Compress your images to shrink the file size without a noticeable drop in quality. Free tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh do this in seconds.
3. Use modern formats such as WebP where you can, as they are smaller than older JPEG and PNG files.

Use a caching plugin (WordPress)

Caching stores a ready-made copy of your pages so they load instantly instead of being built from scratch on every visit.

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins then Add New.
2. Search for a well-reviewed caching plugin, such as WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache.
3. Install and activate it, then turn on caching in its settings. The default settings are usually a good starting point.

Keep your plugins few and up to date

Every plugin adds a little weight, and out-of-date ones can slow your site or create security risks.

1. Review your installed plugins and deactivate any you no longer use.
2. Delete the deactivated plugins you don't plan to use again.
3. Keep the remaining plugins, your theme and WordPress itself updated to the latest versions.

Choose a lightweight theme

A clean, well-built theme makes a real difference to loading speed.

1. Where possible, pick a theme known for being fast and lightweight, such as Astra, GeneratePress or a default WordPress theme.
2. Avoid themes packed with features and animations you don't actually need.

Turn on caching in your control panel

Your hosting may offer its own caching that speeds up your site at the server level.

1. Log in to your account and open your control panel.
2. Look for a caching or performance option within your website's settings.
3. If caching is available, switch it on. This works alongside any caching plugin without conflict.

If you're not sure whether caching is available on your plan, our support team is happy to check for you.

Add a CDN like Cloudflare

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) stores copies of your site around the world, so visitors load it from a server close to them. Cloudflare offers a free plan that's perfect for most sites.

1. Sign up for a free account at cloudflare.com and add your website.
2. Follow Cloudflare's prompts to update your domain's nameservers.
3. Once it's active, Cloudflare speeds up and helps protect your site automatically.

If you'd like a hand pointing your domain to Cloudflare, just reach out and we'll guide you.

Next steps

You don't need to do everything at once. Start with your images and caching, and you'll likely see a noticeable improvement straight away. If your site still feels slow or you'd like us to take a look, open a support ticket from your account and we'll help you track down what's holding it back.