Performance Optimization
Your website is too slow
A slow website costs you rankings, visitors, and revenue. Google penalizes slow sites. Users leave after 3 seconds. We fix the performance problems that hold your business back.
Most sites see 2-4x speed improvements
Core Web Vitals, explained plainly
Google measures your site on three numbers. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is how long the biggest visible thing takes to render: under 2.5 seconds is good, over 4 is failing.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP) measures how fast your site responds when someone taps or clicks: under 200 milliseconds is good. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures how much the page jumps around while loading: under 0.1 is good.
Every ranking move, every bounce rate spike, and every lost conversion usually traces back to one of these three numbers being red in Search Console.
The common culprits, in order
Unoptimized images are the biggest one: a 4 MB hero photo blows out LCP on mobile in a single request. Render-blocking JavaScript is next: WordPress themes that load 12 plugins in the head, Google Tag Manager containers firing 20 tags, and analytics scripts that block paint.
Third-party bloat, from chat widgets to review embeds, can add two seconds on its own. Missing CDN and cache headers force every visitor to hit your origin server for every asset.
We fix these in priority order: images and caching first (fast wins in days), then JavaScript and third-party audit, then server architecture and CDN if needed.
Before and after, on mobile
Desktop numbers lie. Your customers are on mid-range phones on throttled LTE, not a fiber connection with a gaming laptop. We benchmark on a simulated Moto G4 over 4G, the same way Google does for the Core Web Vitals field data that actually affects rankings.
Typical engagement: Lighthouse Performance from 38 to 94, LCP from 5.2 seconds to 1.8, CLS from 0.34 to 0.02. That translates into 20-40% more pages ranking on the first page within two months, and a measurable bump in conversion rate the week the changes ship.
Common Issues
What makes websites slow
We audit every performance bottleneck and fix them in priority order. Here are the issues we see on almost every site.
LCP over 2.5 seconds
Unoptimized images, render-blocking resources, or slow server response
Image compression, lazy loading, CDN deployment, and server-side rendering
High CLS (layout shift)
Images without dimensions, dynamic content injection, or web fonts loading late
Explicit width/height on all media, font preloading, and stable layout containers
Slow TTFB (time to first byte)
Shared hosting, unoptimized database queries, or missing CDN
Edge deployment, static generation, and CDN-first architecture
JavaScript bloat
WordPress plugins, unminified scripts, or monolithic bundles
Code splitting, tree shaking, dynamic imports, and dead code elimination
Render-blocking CSS
Large CSS files loaded in the head, unused styles
Critical CSS inlining, async stylesheet loading, and CSS purging
No browser caching
Missing or misconfigured cache headers
Immutable caching for static assets, proper Cache-Control headers
Find out how slow your site really is
Our free AI SEO audit includes Lighthouse Performance scoring, Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, FCP), server response time, and actionable recommendations. Takes 60 seconds, no signup required.
Run Free Speed TestRemote-first, nationwide
We build websites and run technical SEO for clients anywhere in the US. On-the-ground local SEO in these markets:
FAQ
Speed optimization questions
Why is my website so slow?
The most common causes are unoptimized images, too many JavaScript files (especially WordPress plugins), slow hosting, render-blocking resources, and missing CDN. We run a comprehensive audit that identifies every bottleneck and fixes them in priority order.
How much faster can you make my site?
Most sites see a 2-4x improvement in load time. We typically bring Lighthouse Performance scores from 30-50 up to 85-95+. The exact improvement depends on the starting point and the underlying platform.
Does page speed actually affect SEO?
Yes. Google uses Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, INP) as ranking signals. A slow site loses rankings directly and loses visitors indirectly through higher bounce rates. Google has confirmed this multiple times since 2021.
Can you optimize a WordPress site?
Yes, to a point. We can significantly improve WordPress performance through caching, image optimization, plugin auditing, and CDN deployment. For maximum performance, we recommend migrating to a modern framework like Next.js, which we can build for you.
How long does a speed optimization project take?
A performance audit takes 1-2 days. Implementation depends on the scope: quick wins (images, caching, CDN) ship in a week. Deeper work (code splitting, SSR migration) takes 2-4 weeks.
Get Started
Ready for a faster site?
Book a free performance consultation. We'll review your current speed metrics, identify the biggest bottlenecks, and outline a plan to get your site loading in under 2 seconds.
Send a message
Speed is the foundation layer. Faster pages lift rankings, conversion, and crawlability at once. Part of our digital marketing services. See all services.