With almost every slow site, the profit is in the same place, and that is rarely where people are looking.
The biggest speed gain for almost every website is in images: delivered too large, in an outdated format and without dimensions in the code. This is followed by unnecessary scripts and plugins. Hosting is usually only the fourth factor, while it is the first to be considered.
STEP BY STEP
In order of yield
- Reduce your imagesA photo 4000 pixels wide that is displayed at 800 pixels causes the visitor to download five times too much. Deliver them at the size they are shown. This alone is half of the profit for most sites.
- Use a modern image formatWebP is typically thirty percent smaller than JPEG at the same viewable quality and is supported by all major browsers. Only this conversion makes a noticeable difference.
- Provide images with dimensionsWithout width and height in the code, the browser does not know how much space to reserve, and the page jumps during loading. That is the most common cause of a bad CLS score.
- Load what's below the fold laterImages that only become visible after scrolling do not need to be loaded immediately. The image at the top does, and with priority: exactly the opposite of what plugins often do.
- Discard scripts you don't useEvery chat widget, every counter code and every font loader takes time. Check what is actually used; Most sites have something that no one misses.
- Host your fonts yourselfFonts from an external service require an additional connection before text appears. Self-hosting is faster and also avoids having a third party in your privacy statement.
- Only then look at your hostingA slow server makes everything slower, but a heavy site on fast hosting remains heavy. optimise the site first; otherwise moving is an expensive way to gain little.
PITFALLS
What you can and cannot do yourself
Almost anyone can reduce the size of images and remove unused scripts themselves, and that is usually the biggest part of the profit.
If the slowness is in the theme or the page builder, then optimising is like mopping with the tap open. Then the honest conclusion is that the basis is the problem.
- Self: resize images — usually half the profit.
- Self: Remove unused scripts — see what is actually being used.
- Self: disable unnecessary plugins — every plugin loads something.
- Need help: fonts and loading order — requests access to the code.
- Need help: heavy topics — optimization only helps to a limited extent here.
- Measure real visitors — a test score is an indication.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
More about speed
How fast should a website be?
As a guideline: the most important thing visible within 2.5 seconds for real visitors. More important than the exact number is the comparison with who is above you in your search results.
Why is your site so fast?
Because there is no page builder, no theme and no plugins. That's a choice with a price: you can't turn over pages yourself. What you get in return is speed that does not automatically drop with the next update.
Does a CDN help?
Certainly with an international audience. For a Dutch company with Dutch visitors and a Dutch server, the profit is small, and images are almost always the better first step.
Can a slow site really cost you customers?
Yes, and it is measurable: the longer it takes to load, the more people leave before anything is available. This effect is strongest on mobile internet: and that is where the majority of your visitors are now located.
CONTINUE READING
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A site that stays fast?
Send us your address. We measure and say what the biggest cause is: you can often solve it yourself.