Faster websites rank better and convert more visitors. These ten practical fixes — from image compression to caching — improve Core Web Vitals and page speed.
Visitors leave slow websites, and Google uses page experience signals such as Core Web Vitals in ranking. The good news: most speed problems have simple fixes.
10 practical speed fixes
- Compress and resize images – serve WebP or AVIF and never upload a 4000px photo for a 400px slot.
- Lazy-load images below the fold – add
loading="lazy"to images that are not visible on first load. - Use browser caching – set long cache headers for CSS, JS, fonts and images.
- Enable GZIP or Brotli compression on the server.
- Minify CSS and JavaScript and remove unused libraries.
- Load scripts with
deferso they do not block the page from rendering. - Use a CDN for visitors in different countries.
- Optimise the database – add indexes and cache slow queries.
- Reduce third-party scripts – every chat widget and tracker adds weight.
- Choose good hosting – SSD storage, PHP 8 and HTTP/2 or HTTP/3.
How to measure speed
Use Google PageSpeed Insights and the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console. Focus on LCP (loading), INP (responsiveness) and CLS (visual stability).
Conclusion
Start with images and caching — they usually give the biggest improvement for the least effort — then work through scripts and hosting.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good page load time?
Aim for the main content to appear within about 2.5 seconds on mobile (a good Largest Contentful Paint).
Does page speed affect SEO?
Yes. Page experience, including Core Web Vitals, is one of the signals Google uses, and faster pages also keep visitors longer.
