How to Speed Up a Slow WordPress Site
Eight practical fixes for a slow WordPress site, in the order that usually gives the biggest gain for the least effort.
By Steve, Founder and editor, website developer
Updated
· Last reviewed · 2 min read
In short
- Page caching serves pages as ready-made static files, which cuts the work your server does on every visit.
- Newer PHP versions are usually faster; WordPress.org recommends PHP 8.3 or greater.
- Oversized images are the most common cause of slow pages; resize them and use a modern format such as WebP.
- Deactivate and delete plugins you don't need.
Why is my WordPress site slow?
Most slow WordPress sites have one or more of the same problems: no page caching, an old PHP version, very large images, too many plugins, or underpowered hosting. Fix them in roughly this order, measuring as you go with a free tool such as Google's PageSpeed Insights.
8 ways to speed up WordPress
1. Turn on page caching
WordPress's performance documentation explains that caching plugins store your posts and pages as static files and serve those to visitors, reducing the load on your server. Many hosts provide caching built in; otherwise, a well-known caching plugin does the job.
2. Use a recent PHP version
Newer PHP versions usually perform better. WordPress.org recommends PHP 8.3 or greater. Switch it in your hosting panel (in cPanel, MultiPHP Manager or Select PHP Version), then check your site still works.
3. Shrink your images
Resize photos before uploading: around 1,600 to 2,000 pixels wide is plenty for a full-width image. Compress them, and consider a modern format such as WebP, which WordPress's documentation notes is smaller in size. Our theme builder resizes the images in your theme for you.
4. Remove plugins you don't need
The documentation calls this the first and easiest improvement: deactivate and delete any unnecessary plugins. Look especially at plugins that add scripts to every page.
5. Choose a lightweight theme
Block themes load only the styles for the blocks a page uses. Avoid themes that bundle large page builders or sliders you don't need. Themes from our catalogue bundle just two font files and no JavaScript of their own.
6. Use a CDN
A content delivery network (CDN) serves your images, CSS and JavaScript from servers near each visitor and takes load off your own server. Many hosts include one.
7. Tidy the database
Old post revisions, spam comments and leftovers from deleted plugins build up over time. A reputable database clean-up plugin can remove them. Take a backup first.
8. Upgrade your hosting
If you've done everything above and the site is still slow, more CPU and memory, faster SSD or NVMe storage, or a persistent object cache from your host can make a big difference. See choosing WordPress hosting.
Where to go next
Speed is part of good SEO. Add a speed check to your maintenance routine.
Sources and further reading
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