Performance & SEO

What to do when your website is slow.

What to Do When Your Website Is Slow
May 5, 2025 ・ Websites by KHAN

A slow website isn’t just annoying—it can actually cost you visitors, leads, and sales. In fact, over half of people will bounce if your site takes more than 3 seconds to load. The good news? There are some easy ways to fix it. Here’s a rundown of simple strategies to make your site faster and smoother for everyone.

1. Optimise your images

Big, high-res images look great but can seriously drag your site down. The key is to shrink them without making them look blurry or pixelated.

Try this:

  • Use TinyPNG or ImageOptim to compress images before uploading.
  • Use JPGs for photos and PNGs for graphics with fewer colours.

2. Cut down HTTP requests

Every image, script, or style file your site loads makes an individual request—and those add up.

Try this:

  • Combine your CSS and JavaScript files when you can.
  • Use image sprites if you’ve got lots of tiny icons or buttons.

3. Set up caching

Caching helps your site remember certain stuff, so it doesn’t have to reload it every time someone visits. Big time-saver.

Try this:

  • Use WordPress plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache.
  • Set expiry dates for static files like images, CSS, and JavaScript to leverage browser caching.

4. Turn on Gzip compression

Think of Gzip as vacuum-sealing your website’s code before it’s sent to your visitors. It makes things load way faster.

Try this:

  • Enable Gzip using a plugin or tweak your .htaccess file (or ask your developer).
  • Your host might already support it—worth checking!

5. Upgrade your hosting

If you’re on a cheap shared hosting plan, your site might be stuck sharing resources with loads of others. That’s a recipe for slowness.

Try this:

  • Look into VPS or managed WordPress hosting for better performance.
  • I recommend Cloudways—they’re super reliable and speed-focused.

6. Limit embedded content

Those Instagram feeds and YouTube embeds look cool, but they slow things down by loading content from other websites.

Try this:

  • Use embeds sparingly, and ditch the ones you don’t need.
  • Enable lazy loading so offscreen stuff doesn’t load until it’s needed.

7. Clean up your WordPress database

Over time, your database collects junk—like old post revisions, spam comments, and trashed items. That bloat can slow your site down.

Try this:

  • Use plugins like WP-Optimize or WP-Sweep to tidy up.
  • Set up automatic cleanups to keep things running smoothly.

Why it all matters

A fast website keeps visitors happy, boosts your SEO, and makes a better impression overall. These steps are easy to implement and can make a real difference in how your site performs.

Need help making it happen? I offer website audits and performance fixes to speed things up and give your visitors the experience they expect.

Frustrated by a slow site? I can help. Get in touch and let’s get your website running at full speed.