How to Optimize WordPress Website Speed: 2025 Step-by-Step Checklist

Learn how to optimize WordPress website speed with our quick-read guide.

Website speed is crucial for user experience, search engine rankings, and conversion rates. A slow website can lead to frustrated visitors, higher bounce rates, and lost revenue. Google’s PageSpeed Insights is a powerful tool that analyzes your website’s performance and provides actionable insights to improve its speed. This guide will walk you through a step-by-step checklist to address the major elements affecting your website’s loading time, focusing on key metrics like LCP, TTFB, FCP, TBT, and Speed Index.

Understanding the Metrics of WordPress Website Speed

Before diving into optimization, let’s understand the key metrics PageSpeed Insights uses:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures how long it takes for the largest content element (image, video, or text block) to become visible in the viewport. ¹
• Time to First Byte (TTFB): Measures the time it takes for the browser to receive the first byte of data from the server. ²
• First Contentful Paint (FCP): Measures the time it takes for the browser to render the first piece of content on the page. ³
• Total Blocking Time (TBT): Measures the total time the main thread is blocked, preventing user interaction. ⁴
• Speed Index: Measures how quickly the content of a page is visibly populated.

We fix site speed issues all the time.

It’s all about balancing site theme, plugins, and features, with appropriate caching, CDN implementation and appropriate site settings. If you get stuck, my team is ready to step in and help. Contact us today for help.

Step-by-Step Checklist: How To Optimize WordPress Website Speed

1. Run PageSpeed Insights Analysis:
   
   • Go to PageSpeed Insights: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/ ¹  
   • Enter your website URL and run the analysis.
   • Identify the areas where your website needs improvement based on the scores and suggestions.

2. Optimize Images:
   
   • Core Concept = Optimize Images: Compress and resize images without compromising visual quality.

Pro Tip: I use

2. Compress images: Use tools like TinyPNG or ShortPixel to reduce image file size without sacrificing quality.
3. Use WebP format: WebP images offer better compression and quality compared to JPEG or PNG.
4. Resize images: Ensure images are appropriately sized for their display dimensions.
5. Lazy load images: Load images only when they are about to enter the viewport.

3. Improve Server Response Time (TTFB):
   
   • Choose a fast web host: Select a hosting provider with optimized servers and infrastructure.
   • Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): CDNs cache your website’s content on servers around the world, reducing the distance data needs to travel.
   • Optimize your database: Clean up unnecessary data, optimize queries, and use caching plugins.

4. Minimize Blocking Resources:
   
   • Defer non-critical CSS: Load only the essential CSS needed for initial rendering and defer the rest.
   • Minify and combine CSS and JavaScript files: Reduce file sizes and the number of requests by minifying and combining files.
   • Asynchronously load JavaScript: Prevent JavaScript from blocking page rendering by loading it asynchronously.

5. Reduce Main Thread Work (TBT):
   
   • Optimize JavaScript execution: Avoid long-running JavaScript tasks and break them down into smaller chunks.
   • Minimize third-party scripts: Limit the use of external scripts and choose lightweight alternatives.
   • Use browser caching: Store static assets like images, CSS, and JavaScript in the browser’s cache to reduce server requests.

6. Improve Content Delivery:
   
   • Enable browser caching: Leverage browser caching to store static assets locally.
   • Use preconnect and prefetch: Inform the browser about resources it will need to fetch in advance.
   • Optimize font delivery: Choose web-safe fonts or optimize custom fonts to reduce their impact on loading time.

7. Monitor and Iterate:
   
   • Regularly monitor your website’s performance: Track your PageSpeed Insights scores and identify areas for improvement.
   • Implement changes incrementally: Test each optimization to ensure it positively impacts your website’s speed.
   • Stay updated with best practices: Website optimization is an ongoing process, so keep learning and adapting to new techniques.

By following this step-by-step checklist and addressing the key elements affecting your website’s loading time, you can significantly improve your PageSpeed Insights scores and provide a better user experience. Remember that website optimization is an ongoing process, so continue monitoring your performance and making adjustments as needed.

Top 5 Reasons Sites Are Slow (From Our Experience)

The top 5 reasons sites are slow (from our team’s experience fixing client sites from 2022 to 2024).

1. Unoptimized Images

Large image files can significantly slow down your website. To fix this, use image compression tools like TinyPNG or Smush to reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality. Additionally, implement responsive images using the `srcset` attribute to ensure that the correct size is served on different devices.

2. Excessive Use of Plugins

Having too many plugins can bloat your website and slow down performance. Audit your plugins regularly and remove any that are unnecessary. For essential functionalities, consider using lightweight alternatives or combining features into a single plugin whenever possible.

3. Inefficient Theme

Some WordPress themes are poorly coded or excessively heavy, impacting loading times. Opt for a lightweight theme known for performance, such as Astra or GeneratePress. If you’re committed to your current theme, ensure it’s updated to the latest version and check for bloat caused by added features.

4. Poor Hosting Environment

A low-quality hosting provider can severely affect your site speed. Consider upgrading to a managed WordPress hosting service, which typically offers better optimizations, caching, and security. Research reputable hosting providers that specialize in WordPress for reliable performance.

Here at Farm 6 Media, we like to balance good hosting with good environmental practices. That’s why we use GreenGeeks for our hosting. This website is hosted by GreenGeeks and we recommend them for all of your hosting needs.

5. Lack of Caching

Caching is vital for speeding up your site by storing static versions of your content and delivering them to users faster. Ensure you have a caching plugin like WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache enabled. Configure your plugin settings to optimize page caching, browser caching, and object caching for the best results.

By addressing these common issues, you can greatly enhance your WordPress website’s loading speeds and improve the overall user experience.

Sources

1. Chrome for Developers. “Largest Contentful Paint,” 2020. https://developer.chrome.com/docs/lighthouse/performance/lighthouse-largest-contentful-paint/?utm_source=lighthouse&utm_medium=lr.
2. ‌Web.dev. “Time to First Byte (TTFB),” 2024. https://web.dev/articles/ttfb.
3. ‌Web.dev. “First Contentful Paint (FCP),” 2023. https://web.dev/articles/fcp.
4. ‌Web.dev. “Total Blocking Time (TBT),” 2024. https://web.dev/articles/tbt.
5. ‌Web.dev. “PageSpeed Insights.” PageSpeed Insights, 2024. https://pagespeed.web.dev/analysis/
6. ‌ChatGPT was used to revise this article.

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