WordPress Page Speed Optimisation Service

Yes, it is entirely common for plugins to slow down WordPress and to have a negative impact on page speed. That does not mean that all WordPress plugins would slow page speed, of course. However, as a general rule, most good WordPress developers would avoid using plugins for tasks which could be addressed with some simple, elegant code which is more lightweight and loads and processes more quickly.

1. Hosting. Cheap website hosting may mean that your host is cutting corners to keep the hosting cost low. That often means that the server itself needs more resources; faster processors, and more RAM for example. If your site is hosted on a server with multiple other websites, this can also mean that your WordPress site is sharing resources with other websites – if they demand more resources, your site slows down.
2. Server configuration. There are typically a number of opportunities with most web hosts to optimise the performance of the server itself, which speeds up requests for all resources on your website.
3. Bloat. Unnecessary plugins and code which take a browser longer to download and display on every page on your website. Within a site speed improvement project, unnecessary bloat is removed and necessary code or plugins are reviewed and often replaced.
4. CDN. Implementing a Content Delivery Network can help to increase page speed. A CDN essentially replicates your content across multiple servers around the planet, allowing users to connect to their nearest server. Since data travels less, the data transfer time is reduced, which improves load time.
5. Images. The images used on a website can be unnecessarily large if not managed correctly. For example, a 2048 x 1536px image is used on a page, but resized, is still a 2048 x 1536px image. A visitor’s browser still has to download the huge image (multiple MB download size) and then resize it on their device, which could end up being fairly small on the user’s screen. Using image compression and resizing, that same image could be presented in the correct dimensions and be just 30k in size, significantly reducing data transfer time and page load time.
6. Scripts. Most web pages use multiple scripts, each of which increases the size of the page and can slow down the load time. It is common for elements on a web page to wait until a script has been completed. This means that the page cannot load fully until the script has completed running, which obviously slows page load time significantly. Deferred loading is one technique to optimise page speed – forcing content to load before the script is run. The result is a human-usable page, whilst the scripts continue to run in the background.

Yes. There are many studies which confirm that page speed has a direct impact on conversion rates – the percentage of visitors who complete the goal (a form completion, an eCommerce purchase, a registration). Conversion Rate of course impacts the quantity of conversions your site receives (see Conversion Rate Optimisation) and significantly, the Cost per Conversion (or CPA) in a Google Ads campaign.

WordPress page speed optimisation can;

 – increase the number of conversions (leads, sales) you generate through your website

 – lower the cost of each lead generated through Pay Per Click Ads

 – help scale paid ad performance. With a higher conversion rate, you can afford to bid more. Bidding more increases visibility and clicks. Increasing clicks increases conversions

The Response Time is only the first step for a user connecting to your server, even before any data or content begins to download. This is usually limited by the hosting, or the specific server and can vary minute by minute and day by day. According to littledata, 268ms would put your site in the best 20% and less than 198ms in the top 10%. Conversely, 814ms would put your site among the worst 20% of websites.

Remember though, the Response Time is not specific to WordPress, nor your website – this is simply how long it takes the server to respond to a request, not to actually process or complete the request. However, it can have a significant impact on overall page speed.

There are many tools which can measure your site’s performance and help you identify what might be causing slow page speed, or even for specific pages you might want to test:

 – Page Speed Insights (Google)

 – GTMetrix

 – Pingdom Page Speed Test

 – Pagespeed Compare (we love this)

 – Web Page Test

Yes. One of the most common reasons for slow page speed.

The images used on a website can be unnecessarily large if not managed correctly. For example, a 2048 x 1536px image is used on a page, but resized, is still a 2048 x 1536px image and is a heavyweight file – multiple Megabytes. A visitor’s browser still has to download the huge image and then resize it on their device, which could end up being fairly small on the user’s screen.

Using image compression and resizing, that same image could be presented in the correct dimensions and be just 30k in size, significantly reducing data transfer time and page load time.

WordPress page speed optimization is important because it has a significant impact on search engine rankings and conversion rates. A faster loading website leads to higher organic search traffic, better performance in PPC campaigns, and increased customer satisfaction.

Every additional one second delay in page load time can result in 7% fewer conversions, 11% fewer page views, and a 16% decrease in customer satisfaction. Optimizing page speed ensures a better user experience, higher engagement, and improved conversion rates.

Tillison Consulting offers comprehensive WordPress page speed optimization services. They specialize in improving WordPress site speed by addressing issues such as hosting optimization, fixing redirects, optimizing plugins, implementing a Content Delivery Network (CDN), compressing code, and optimizing images.

Tillison Consulting optimizes WordPress plugins by carefully evaluating their necessity and impact on website performance. Unnecessary plugins are removed, and the ones deemed essential are optimized to minimize their impact on page speed while ensuring a smooth user experience.