> How to speed up a slow WordPress website: measure it, then fix caching, images, plugins, the theme and the hosting, in the order that usually pays most. - Canonical: https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/how-to-speed-up-a-wordpress-website/ --- # How to speed up a WordPress website A WordPress website is slow for reasons its owner can change: no caching, heavy images, too many plugins, a bloated theme or weak hosting. That is the difference from a website builder. Every layer is open, so every layer can be fixed, and the test shows which one to start with. Updated 6 October 2026 ## 1. Measure first Run the home page and one busy inner page through Google’s PageSpeed Insights on the mobile tab. Note the server response time, the time for the main content to appear and the list of diagnostics. Our guide to [why a website is slow](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/why-is-my-website-so-slow/) explains how to read where the time goes. ## 2. Turn on caching WordPress builds each page from its database every time someone asks for it. A caching plugin saves the finished page and serves the saved copy, which WordPress’s own documentation describes as the quickest way to improve performance. Install one caching plugin, not several. ## 3. Fix the images WordPress’s documentation asks for every image to be optimised: the right format, compressed, and no larger than it is shown. A modern format such as WebP is smaller again. The image at the top of the page matters most. ## 4. Cut the plugins List every plugin and ask what it does for a visitor. Deactivate and delete the ones with no answer. Then check the heavy ones that remain: sliders, page builders, social feeds and anything that loads on every page to serve one. ## 5. Look at the theme A theme that offers every feature loads the code for every feature. A page-builder plugin adds its own code on top. If the test shows large amounts of unused script and styling, the theme is the cause, and a lighter theme is the fix. ## 6. Check the hosting A slow server response in the test points at the hosting. Cheap shared hosting puts hundreds of sites on one machine. Moving to better hosting, on a current version of PHP, is a change WordPress allows and a website builder does not. ## 7. Use a content delivery network A content delivery network serves images, scripts and styles from a server near the visitor. WordPress’s documentation notes that it takes that work off the site’s own server. It matters most for sites with visitors in more than one country. ## 8. Measure again Run the same tests and compare. Each step should show in the figures. A WordPress site has no fixed floor, because every layer can be replaced, but there is a point where rebuilding on something lighter costs less than continuing to patch. Our guide to [whether you need a new website](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/do-i-need-a-new-website/) sets out how to tell. ## Questions people ask ### Why is my WordPress site so slow? The usual causes are pages built afresh for every visitor because nothing is cached, images uploaded at full size, a large number of plugins each adding scripts, and a theme or page builder that loads far more than the page uses. ### Do plugins slow down WordPress? Each plugin can add scripts, styles and database work to every page. A few well-made plugins cost little. Dozens, or one badly made, cost a great deal. Remove the ones that are not earning their place. ### Is better hosting worth it for WordPress? Better hosting is worth it when the test shows a slow server response. Hosting is something a WordPress owner can change and a website-builder owner cannot, and on a slow server no other fix makes up the difference. ## Free competitor gap report Faster than before is not the same as faster than the competition. Name up to three competitors and we run their pages and yours through the same speed tests, then send you where you stand and what is left to gain. 1. Speed and technical health, side by side 2. On-page SEO and site structure 3. The content they are found for and you are not 4. Who holds the searches that matter in your market 5. A prioritised list of what to fix first [Request your free report by email](mailto:contact@hadalmedusa.com?subject=Competitor%20gap%20report%3A%20Guide%3A%20How%20to%20speed%20up%20a%20WordPress%20website&body=Website%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AWhere%20you%20compete%20(area%2C%20country%20or%20countries)%3A%0D%0A%0D%0ACompetitors%20to%20compare%20against%20(up%20to%20three)%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AAnything%20else%20we%20should%20know%3A%0D%0A%0D%0A) - **Address** — contact@hadalmedusa.com - **Include** — your site; up to three competitors; where you compete ## More in this series - [Why your Wix site is so slow, and what to do about it](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/why-is-my-wix-site-so-slow/) - [Can you move a Wix site to another host?](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/can-you-move-a-wix-site-to-another-host/) - [Why your Squarespace site is so slow, and what to do about it](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/why-is-my-squarespace-site-so-slow/) - [Is Wix bad for SEO?](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/is-wix-bad-for-seo/) - [Is Squarespace bad for SEO?](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/is-squarespace-bad-for-seo/) - [How to speed up a Wix website](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/how-to-speed-up-a-wix-website/) - [How to read the Wix Site Speed dashboard](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/wix-site-speed-dashboard/) - [Wix site still slow after the fixes? How to find the limit](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/wix-site-still-slow/) - [Is Wix slower than WordPress or Squarespace?](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/is-wix-slower-than-wordpress/) - [Is Wix worth it for a small business?](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/is-wix-worth-it-for-a-small-business/) - [How to speed up a Squarespace website](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/how-to-speed-up-a-squarespace-website/) - [Can you move a Squarespace site to another platform?](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/can-you-move-a-squarespace-site/) - [How to connect a Wix site to Google Search Console](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/connect-wix-to-google-search-console/) - [Is WordPress bad for SEO?](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/is-wordpress-bad-for-seo/) - [Why your Shopify store is so slow, and how to speed it up](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/why-is-my-shopify-store-so-slow/) - [Is Shopify bad for SEO?](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/is-shopify-bad-for-seo/) - [How to move from Wix to WordPress](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/how-to-move-from-wix-to-wordpress/) - [How to move a store from Wix to Shopify](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/how-to-move-from-wix-to-shopify/) - [How to move from Squarespace to WordPress](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/how-to-move-from-squarespace-to-wordpress/) - [How to move a store from Squarespace to Shopify](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/how-to-move-from-squarespace-to-shopify/) - [How to speed up a Shopify store](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/how-to-speed-up-a-shopify-store/) - [How to transfer a domain away from Wix](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/how-to-transfer-a-domain-from-wix/) - [How to transfer a domain away from Squarespace](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/how-to-transfer-a-domain-from-squarespace/) - [Website platforms: fixing one, or leaving it: the whole topic](https://hadalmedusa.com/topics/website-builders/) - [All guides](https://hadalmedusa.com/guides/) - [Redesigns and rebuilds: what the service includes](https://hadalmedusa.com/services/website-redesign/)