For slow WordPress sites
WordPress speed optimisation you can measure
A slow site loses visitors and rankings. I measure where the time goes, fix the causes instead of piling on more plugins, and show you the before and after.
A speed check is £99. A tune-up, with the fixes done for you, is £399.
- Real measurements, before and after
- A backup before any change
- Forms and checkout tested after every change
- No VAT to add
Before
84
Performance score
After
97
Performance score
- Main content shows
- 3.9 sto2.4 s
- Page fills in
- 5.0 sto3.1 s
- Best Practices score
- 77to100
Real results, measured before and after
Two recent jobs: my own website, and a client’s site where the changes are about to go live. The numbers are measured, not estimated.
My own site
peterclaridge.com
My own consultancy website, tested on mobile with Lighthouse (Google’s free testing tool) before and after the work. Scores are out of 100.
- Performance
- 84to97
- Best Practices
- 77to100
- Accessibility
- 96to100
- SEO
- 100to100
- Largest Contentful Paint
- 3.9 sto2.4 s
- Speed Index
- 5.0 sto3.1 s
Largest Contentful Paint is how long until the main content shows. Speed Index is how quickly the page visibly fills in. A later re-test scored 96: on a shared server like this one, scores move a point or two between runs.
What was wrong: 28 links still used insecure “http://” addresses, which cost Best Practices points, and the contact form’s scripts loaded on every page, even where there was no form.
What I changed: I fixed the 28 links, made the form’s scripts load only where the form is used, and checked that the page cache (ready-made copies of pages that can be sent straight away) was actually serving the home page.
Client
Measured on staging
B3 Designers
b3designers.co.uk, an interior design studio for restaurants, hotels and offices. A large site built with Elementor (a page builder) and about 30 plugins.
Seconds before the browser receives anything
- Hotel design page, not cached
- 13.8–15.7 sto4.1–5.0 s
- Cached pages, first visit from each type of browser
- 4.5–6 sto0.05–0.07 s
Measured on their staging site (a private test copy of the website). The changes are going live shortly.
What was wrong: Pages already in the cache were fast, but any other page took 4.5 to 14 seconds before the browser received anything. Measuring showed why: two image carousels set to a custom crop downloaded the original photos every time the page was built (10 of its 11.5 seconds); a cache setting kept a separate copy of every page for each type of browser, so most first visits were slow; background tasks (WP-Cron) ran on visitors’ requests; and three plugins weren’t being used.
What I changed: I switched the carousels to full-size images, turned on Elementor’s element cache, removed the unused plugins, moved the background tasks to a proper server schedule, turned off the setting that split the cache, and set the 14 key pages to load into the cache automatically, so they’re ready before anyone visits.
Why WordPress sites get slow
Your site feels slow. Someone has told you it’s hurting your Google rankings. Or you’ve tried a speed plugin and not much changed. A slow WordPress site usually comes down to one or more of these, and the way to find out which is to measure.
Too many plugins
Plugins (add-ons that give WordPress extra features) often load their code on every page, even where it isn’t used.
Heavy page builders
Page builders such as Elementor, and the add-on packs that come with them, can add a lot of code to every page.
Large or uncompressed images
Photos uploaded straight from a camera or phone are often far bigger than the page needs.
A cache that isn’t working the way you think
A cache keeps ready-made copies of your pages. Set up wrongly, it leaves many visitors waiting while pages are built from scratch.
Background tasks on visitors’ time
WordPress runs its scheduled jobs (WP-Cron) when someone loads a page, so a visitor can end up waiting for them.
Third-party scripts
Chat widgets, tracking pixels and adverts load code from other companies’ servers, and some of it holds the page up.
Slow or overloaded hosting
The company you pay for your website (for example Hostinger or GoDaddy) runs the server it sits on, known as hosting. A slow or crowded server holds everything up.
A cluttered database
Old page revisions, spam comments and leftovers from deleted plugins build up in the database, where WordPress keeps your content.
How I speed up a WordPress site
No guesswork and no pile of extra plugins. I work remotely for businesses in Reading, across Berkshire and throughout the UK.
Measure first
I look at how long your server takes to start sending each page, whether visitors get the cached copy or wait for a fresh one (cache hits and misses), Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights tests, and Google’s speed data from real visitors (its Core Web Vitals), where your site has enough traffic for Google to report it.
Biggest causes first
I fix whatever costs the most time first, so the hours go on the changes that make the most difference.
Test after every change
A full backup before I start. After each change I check that your forms, checkout and key pages still work.
A before and after report
In plain English: what was slow, what I changed, and the numbers before and after.
Typical fixes
- Images resized, compressed and converted to modern formats such as WebP.
- Page caching set up properly, then checked to make sure it’s actually working.
- The database cleared of old revisions, spam and data left behind by removed plugins.
- Server-level settings, such as compression and an up-to-date version of PHP (the language WordPress runs on).
- Unused plugins removed, and scripts loaded only on the pages that use them.
- Background tasks moved to a proper server schedule.
Plugins only where they’re the right tool. Sometimes a caching or image plugin is the answer. Other times it’s a setting, a script or one slow feature that no plugin will fix.
Speed optimisation prices
Start with a check to find out what’s slowing the site down, or have it measured and fixed in one go.
Speed check
£99
Find out what’s slowing your site down, and what each fix is worth.
- Measurements of your site: server response times, the cache, Lighthouse and PageSpeed tests, and Google’s real-visitor data where there’s enough traffic
- A plain-English list of what’s slowing the site down
- What each fix is worth, so you can decide what to do
If you book a tune-up within 30 days, the £99 comes off.
Order a speed checkCheck plus fixes
Speed tune-up
£399
The speed check, plus the fixes done for you.
- Everything in the speed check
- Up to 5 hours of fixes, biggest causes first
- A full backup before anything is changed
- Forms, checkout and key pages tested after each change
- A before and after report in plain English
Large or complex sites
Quote
For sites that need more than a standard tune-up. Tell me about yours and I’ll give you a quote before any work starts.
- Big WooCommerce shops (online shops built on WordPress)
- Page builders with many add-ons
Prices are final. I’m not VAT registered, so there’s no VAT to add.
Bigger job? Get a quote.
How it works
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Order online
Order and pay for a speed check. If you already know you want the fixes, order the tune-up instead.
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Give me access
After paying, you’re shown step by step how to add me as a user in WordPress, so your password stays yours. Most speed work needs access to your hosting too.
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I measure
I find where the time goes and send you a plain-English list of what’s slowing the site down and what each fix is worth.
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I fix and re-test
On a tune-up, I take a backup, fix the biggest causes first, test after each change and send you the before and after numbers.
Your site and your business stay private
Speed work means looking closely at your site and the server it runs on. Here’s how I handle that.
Confidential by default
What I see on your site and learn about your business stays between us.
Your NDA, if you want one
I’ll sign your non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before you share anything.
Your password stays yours
You add me as a user in WordPress, and you can remove me when the job’s done.
A backup first
A full backup is taken before I change anything.
Not sure this is the right service?
If speed isn’t the main problem, one of these may suit you better.
Something’s broken
Errors, a site that’s down, or you’re locked out. A repair is £119.
See WordPress RepairContent to change
Text, prices, products, images or pages updated for you, from £39.
See Website ChangesKeep it fast every month
The Growth care plan (£99 a month) includes database and image optimisation and a monthly performance report.
See the Growth care planNeed help with your site every month?
Care plans start at £49 a month, with updates, backups and monthly time for edits. Anything broken by an update I make is fixed at no extra cost, and you can cancel any time.
WordPress speed questions
Can you guarantee a WordPress PageSpeed score of 90 or more?
No. Scores vary from one test to the next, by a point or two on shared hosting, and they depend on your hosting and on what the site does. A shop with a checkout, live chat and tracking usually scores lower than a simple brochure site. After the speed check I’ll tell you what’s realistic for your site.
Will fixing my WordPress Core Web Vitals help my Google rankings?
It can help, but I can’t promise a ranking change. Core Web Vitals are Google’s measures of how quickly a page loads, how quickly it responds when someone taps or clicks, and whether the layout jumps around. They’re one of many things Google looks at. A faster site does mean fewer visitors give up before the page appears.
Can’t I just speed up my WordPress site with a plugin?
Sometimes a caching or image plugin is the right tool, and I’ll use one when it is. But a plugin won’t fix a carousel that downloads its photos every time a page is built, or a cache setting that splits your pages, and on a site that already has a lot of plugins, adding another can make things slower. So I measure first, then fix the actual cause.
Do you need access to my hosting?
Usually, yes. Many speed problems are in the server settings and the cache, which can’t all be seen from inside WordPress. I start with read-only checks, looking rather than changing anything. After you order, you’re shown step by step how to give me access.
Will it break anything?
I take a full backup before changing anything, and after every change I test your forms, checkout and key pages. If something doesn’t work as it should, I can undo the change or restore the backup.
Should I change hosting?
Sometimes. If the server is what’s holding the site back, the measurements will show it and I’ll tell you. But I measure before suggesting a move: in both examples on this page, the fixes were in how the site was set up, not a change of hosting.
How long does it take?
A tune-up includes up to 5 hours of work, and once you’ve ordered I’ll let you know when to expect the report. Lighthouse and PageSpeed tests show the difference straight away. Google’s real-visitor data covers the previous 28 days, so it takes about four weeks to fully reflect the changes.
Is there VAT to add?
No. I’m not VAT registered, so the prices on this page are final.
Find out what’s slowing your site down
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