A faster website should help customers read your services, browse your work and make an enquiry comfortably. Start by finding what is slow on your actual pages, then make and test one change at a time. Installing another optimisation plugin or enabling every available setting is not a substitute for diagnosis.
Measure the pages customers use
Check your homepage, an important service page and your contact or booking page with Google PageSpeed Insights. Record the URL, date, mobile and desktop results, and the main recommendations. Also open those pages on a real phone and follow the same steps a customer would take.
A simulated test is useful for finding problems, while real-user data describes visits on different devices and networks. Results can vary, so compare like-for-like tests and keep the actual browsing experience in view. Google’s Web Vitals guide explains the distinction.
Look beyond the headline score
- Loading: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) tracks when the main visible content appears.
- Responsiveness: Interaction to Next Paint (INP) measures how quickly the page responds to interactions.
- Layout stability: Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures unexpected movement on the page.
Use those measures to describe the problem. Is the main image arriving late? Does a button feel unresponsive? Does the content jump while someone is trying to tap a link? A specific symptom gives you a better starting point than a score alone.
Check images before adding more software
Review large banners and project screenshots. Upload an appropriately sized image instead of using a very large original for a small display area. Compare the result visually after compression, particularly where screenshots contain fine text or logos.
Images lower down a page can be loaded as they are needed. The main image visible at the top needs different treatment: Google’s image-loading guidance advises against lazy-loading images that are visible immediately. Ask your developer to check the actual page rather than applying the same setting to every image.
Review caching, plugins and external tools together
Ask whoever manages the website to check whether page caching is working and whether the hosting setup suits the site. Review the scripts added by review widgets, maps, videos, chat tools and tracking integrations. Keep what serves a clear business purpose and investigate unnecessary duplication.
Combining, delaying or removing files needs testing with your theme and plugins. A change that improves a test result but breaks the navigation or quote form has not achieved the business goal. Keep a record of the original settings so a change can be reversed.
Test the enquiry journey after a change
- Open the navigation and visit your key service pages.
- Check phone links, quote buttons and any popup forms.
- Test bookings, payments or product options if the website uses them.
- Check that genuine form tests reach the intended inbox.
- Review the page layout on mobile and desktop, then repeat the performance test.
Keep a note of what changed and the result. That makes it easier to identify a useful improvement and recognise a regression after a later update.
Get help with an existing WordPress website
Easy Flow Web Design offers website reviews and improvements, WordPress hosting and ongoing maintenance. Tell Blair which pages feel slow, what device you tested and whether anything has recently changed.
Request a website review and include your website address. If the main issue is visitors leaving without contacting you, also read our practical enquiry checklist.
