Website speed optimization for faster pages
Gjethe makes slow websites fast. We measure real-user Core Web Vitals, find what slows each template (oversized images, render-blocking scripts, heavy fonts, slow servers, third-party tags) fix the causes and verify the improvement with field data, on WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Next.js and custom sites.
- Free first consultation
- Written quote for your project
- Flexible payment milestones
At a glance
- Measures
- LCP, INP and CLS
- Platforms
- WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Next.js
- Verified with
- Field data, not just lab scores
- Deliverable
- Before-and-after report
Definition
What is website speed optimization?
Website speed optimization is the process of finding and removing the causes of slow page loads and sluggish interaction, measured by Google's Core Web Vitals: Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift.
A slow page costs you twice: visitors leave before it loads, and search engines use page experience among their ranking signals. Speed work is detective work, the cause is rarely one thing. We measure first, fix the biggest problems on the templates that matter most, and confirm the result with real-user data rather than a single lab score. Every change is measured against the starting numbers, so you can see what actually improved.
Who is it for?
WordPress sites with plugin overload
Page builders, sliders and dozens of plugins have made pages heavy and slow to respond.
Online stores
Apps, tracking scripts and large product images slow down collection and product pages where buying decisions happen.
Sites running paid ads
Every second of load time on a landing page wastes ad budget on visitors who leave before seeing the offer.
Sites failing Core Web Vitals
Search Console flags poor URLs and you want a clear plan to fix them.
What's included, and what you keep
What's included
- Core Web Vitals audit from Search Console and real-user data
- Template-by-template lab analysis
- Image resizing, modern formats and lazy loading
- Font loading strategy and subsetting
- Removal or deferral of render-blocking scripts
- Third-party tag and app audit
- Caching, compression and CDN configuration
- Layout-shift fixes for ads, images and embeds
- Server and hosting review
- Before-and-after measurement
What you receive
Handed over at the end. Yours to keep.
- Audit report with prioritised findings
- Implemented fixes on your site
- Before-and-after metrics per template
- Recommendations for keeping the site fast
- List of removed or replaced scripts and plugins
What do the Core Web Vitals measure?
Google's thresholds for a good experience, and the usual causes when a page falls short.
| Metric | What it measures | Good | Common causes of poor scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCP: Largest Contentful Paint | How quickly the main content appears | ≤ 2.5 s | Large hero images, slow servers, render-blocking CSS and JavaScript |
| INP: Interaction to Next Paint | How quickly the page responds to taps and clicks | ≤ 200 ms | Heavy JavaScript, third-party scripts, long tasks |
| CLS: Cumulative Layout Shift | How much the layout jumps while loading | ≤ 0.1 | Images without dimensions, late-loading ads, web fonts swapping |
Lab scores or real users?
Tools such as Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights run a test on a simulated device. They're useful for finding problems, but a single score can swing between runs and doesn't reflect your actual visitors' phones and connections.
Field data, collected from real Chrome users and shown in Search Console and the Chrome User Experience Report, is what Google uses for page experience. We use lab tools to diagnose and field data to judge success, which is why improvements are confirmed over a few weeks rather than declared after one test.
Where speed is usually lost
Images
Uploading camera-sized photos and serving them to phones is the most common cause of slow pages. Resizing and modern formats often halve page weight on their own.
JavaScript
Sliders, page builders, chat widgets and tracking tags compete for the browser's main thread, delaying how quickly the page responds to taps.
Fonts
Several font families and weights loaded from third-party servers delay text and cause layout jumps.
Server response
Slow hosting, missing caching or an overloaded database delay everything before the first byte arrives.
How website speed optimization works, step by step
Every step has a clear output you can review. Timing is agreed in your quote.
- 1
Measure
Field data from Search Console and CrUX, plus lab tests on each important template.
- 2
Diagnose
We trace each slow metric to its causes: images, scripts, fonts, server or layout.
- 3
Prioritise
Fixes ranked by impact on the pages that bring traffic and revenue.
- 4
Fix
Changes made on a staging copy first, then deployed.
- 5
Verify
Lab re-tests immediately; field data checked as it updates over the following weeks.
- 6
Report
Before-and-after results and advice to stop the site slowing down again.
Tools, and what shapes your quote
Pricing is based on your project and agreed in your quote. These are the things that move it.
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Platform | Shopify and Webflow limit what can be changed; custom and WordPress sites allow deeper fixes. |
| Number of templates | Each template has its own bottlenecks to investigate. |
| Third-party scripts | Chat widgets, trackers and ad tags must be negotiated, deferred or replaced. |
| Theme or builder | Page builders may need partial rebuilding to reach good scores. |
| Hosting | Sometimes the fastest fix is better hosting or a CDN. |
| Ongoing monitoring | Keeping a site fast after changes can be part of a maintenance plan. |
| Area | Tools |
|---|---|
| Measurement | PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, Chrome UX Report, Search Console, WebPageTest |
| Images & fonts | AVIF/WebP conversion, responsive images, font subsetting |
| Delivery | Cloudflare, Vercel Edge, server and object caching |
| Debugging | Chrome DevTools performance panel, bundle analysers |
Common mistakes to avoid
What we see go wrong most often, and how a good project avoids it.
Chasing a 100 score
A perfect lab score isn't the goal. Good Core Web Vitals for real users on important pages is.
Installing another optimisation plugin
Stacking caching and optimisation plugins often causes conflicts. Fix the causes rather than layering tools.
Lazy-loading the hero image
The main image should load immediately; lazy-loading it makes LCP worse.
Forgetting third-party tags
Marketing scripts added through Tag Manager are often the biggest cost and the least visible.
Frequently asked questions
Does page speed affect Google rankings?
Page experience, including Core Web Vitals, is one of many signals Google uses. Speed rarely outranks relevance, but slow pages lose visitors regardless, so it pays off either way.
Can you speed up a Shopify store?
Yes, within Shopify's limits: theme code, app clean-up, image sizes and script loading are where most gains come from.
Will you remove plugins or apps I rely on?
Only with your agreement. We show the cost of each one and suggest lighter alternatives where they exist.
Why is my lab score different every time?
Lab tests simulate a device and network, and small variations in servers and scripts change the result. That's why we judge success on field data.
Do I need new hosting?
Sometimes. If the server takes too long to respond before anything loads, no front-end optimisation can fully fix it. We'll tell you if hosting is the bottleneck.
How do we keep the site fast afterwards?
By checking new scripts and content against a performance budget. We can include speed monitoring in a maintenance plan.
Can you fix layout shift caused by ads or embeds?
Yes, by reserving space for them, setting image dimensions and adjusting how fonts load.
What do you need from us to start?
Access to Search Console and analytics, admin access to the site or store, and a list of the pages that matter most to your business. If ads drive traffic, the landing pages they use too.
Can speed work break my site?
We make changes on a staging copy first and test key pages, forms and checkout before anything reaches the live site, with a backup ready to restore.
Will speed work improve my conversion rate?
Faster pages usually reduce the number of people who leave before a page loads, especially on mobile. We measure conversions before and after so you can see the effect on your own site rather than relying on general claims.
Related services
Website Maintenance & Support
Updates, backups, monitoring and fixes every month.
WordPress Development
Custom themes, plugins and WooCommerce without bloat.
Shopify Development
Custom Shopify themes, apps, migrations and Shopify Plus.
SEO Audit
A prioritised list of what's holding your rankings back.
Website Redesign
Rebuild an outdated site without losing traffic.
Website Speed Optimization by industry
Make your site fast.
Tell us what you need. You get an honest assessment, a clear plan and a written quote. The first consultation is always free.
- What happens next
- 1You tell us what you need
- 2We aim to reply within 24 hours with questions
- 3You get a written quote for your project