Knowledge Base

Improving Website Speed

A slow website frustrates visitors and hurts SEO. Here's how to diagnose and fix performance issues.

Diagnose the Problem

Test Your Speed

Use these free tools:

• GTmetrix
• Google PageSpeed Insights
• Pingdom

These will identify specific bottlenecks.

Common Causes and Solutions

1. Large Images

Images are often the biggest culprit:

• Compress images before uploading (use TinyPNG or similar)
• Use appropriate dimensions (don't upload 4000px images for 400px displays)
• Use modern formats (WebP)
• Implement lazy loading

2. Too Many Plugins (WordPress)

Each plugin adds overhead:

• Deactivate and delete unused plugins
• Replace multiple plugins with one comprehensive solution
• Use lightweight alternatives

3. No Caching

Enable caching to serve pre-generated pages:

• WordPress: Install LiteSpeed Cache or WP Super Cache
• DirectAdmin: Enable OPcache in PHP Settings

4. Unoptimized Database

Clean your database regularly:

• Delete spam comments
• Remove post revisions
• Clear transients
• Optimize database tables

5. External Resources

Minimize external calls:

• Host fonts locally instead of Google Fonts
• Limit third-party scripts
• Use async/defer for JavaScript

6. Enable GZIP Compression

Add to .htaccess:

<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/css application/javascript
</IfModule>

Server-Side Optimization

• Use PHP 8.x for better performance
• Enable OPcache
• Consider upgrading to a higher hosting tier if consistently slow