Step by Step Speed Fixes
Step 1: Test Your Current Speed
Before you fix anything, you need to know where you stand. Use these tools to measure speed and see what's slowing you down.
- Go to PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev)
- Enter your homepage URL
- Look at the Mobile score (this is what Google uses for ranking)
- Write down your LCP, FID, and CLS scores (Core Web Vitals)
- Screenshot the results so you can compare later
Step 2: Compress and Convert Images
Images are usually 50-70% of page weight. This is the fastest win for most sites.
- Convert all images to WebP format (smaller file size, same quality)
- Resize images to the actual display size - don't use 3000px images if they display at 800px
- Use TinyPNG or Squoosh to compress without losing quality
- Add lazy loading so images below the fold load only when needed
- Target: keep images under 200KB each, under 500KB total per page
Step 3: Enable Browser Caching
Caching tells the browser to save files locally so returning visitors load pages instantly.
- Add caching rules to your .htaccess file (Apache) or server config (Nginx)
- Set cache for images to 1 year, CSS/JS to 1 month
- If using WordPress, install WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache plugin
- Check that caching is working by testing a page twice - second load should be faster
Step 4: Minimize and Combine CSS and JavaScript
Every CSS or JS file is a separate request. Fewer requests = faster load times.
- Combine multiple CSS files into one
- Combine multiple JS files into one
- Minify (remove spaces and comments) from both
- Move non-critical JS to load at the bottom of the page
- Use tools like Autoptimize (WordPress) or manual minifiers
Step 5: Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A CDN serves your site from servers close to your visitors. Someone in California loads from California, someone in New York loads from New York.
- Cloudflare is free and easy to set up
- Point your domain nameservers to Cloudflare
- Enable caching and minification in Cloudflare settings
- This works immediately for static assets (images, CSS, JS)
Step 6: Remove Unnecessary Plugins and Scripts
Every plugin adds code. More code = slower site. Audit what you actually need.
- List all plugins or third-party scripts on your site
- Disable each one temporarily and check if anything breaks
- Remove plugins you don't actually use
- Replace heavy plugins with lighter alternatives
- Common bloat: social sharing buttons, heavy sliders, analytics scripts you don't check
Real Example
Case: Real estate agent website with property listings and photos
Problem: Mobile PageSpeed score was 28/100. LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) was 8.2 seconds. Bounce rate over 70%.
Solution: Converted all images to WebP and resized them (saved 4.2MB). Enabled Cloudflare CDN. Combined CSS files. Removed 3 unused plugins. Added lazy loading to property photos below the fold.
Result: Mobile PageSpeed score jumped to 78/100. LCP dropped to 2.1 seconds. Bounce rate fell to 45%. Organic traffic increased 22% in the following 8 weeks.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Mistake 1: Obsessing Over a Perfect 100 Score
You don't need a perfect score to rank. Anything above 75 on mobile is good. Focus on LCP, FID, and CLS (Core Web Vitals) rather than chasing 100.
❌ Mistake 2: Only Testing on Fast Internet
PageSpeed Insights simulates slow 4G mobile. That's reality for many users. Test on real mobile devices with real mobile internet to see what customers experience.
❌ Mistake 3: Ignoring Hosting Quality
All the optimization in the world won't fix a slow shared hosting server. If your Time to First Byte (TTFB) is over 600ms, consider upgrading to better hosting.
Summary
Page speed impacts rankings, bounce rate, and conversions. Start with images (compress and convert to WebP), enable caching, use a CDN, and remove unnecessary scripts. These changes usually take 1-3 hours and give you 50-80% of possible speed improvement.
If you want a full technical SEO audit that includes page speed analysis and a prioritized fix list, we offer that as part of our free audit.
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