Why is my website slow? 5 common reasons and how to fix them
The five problems I find most often when I check slow websites, what each one costs you, and what to fix first.
A slow website quietly costs you customers. People on a phone will not wait long for a page to appear, and Google prefers faster sites in its results. The good news is that most slow sites suffer from the same few problems.
How to check your speed
Open your site on your own phone, on mobile data rather than Wi-Fi. If the first screen takes more than a few seconds, it is too slow. For a detailed report, run your homepage through Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool and look at the mobile score.
1. Huge images
This is the most common problem by far. A photo straight from a phone or camera can be several megabytes, when a few hundred kilobytes would look the same on screen.
Fix: resize images to the size they are shown at and save them in a modern format like WebP. This alone often makes the biggest difference.
2. Too many plugins or apps
Every plugin on WordPress or app on Shopify can add its own scripts. Ten small ones add up to a heavy page.
Fix: remove anything you do not use, and replace several small plugins with one that does the job.
3. Cheap or overloaded hosting
If your server is slow to respond, everything else waits. Very cheap plans often put too many sites on one server.
Fix: choose a reliable host with servers near your visitors, and turn on caching.
4. Heavy themes and page builders
Many ready-made themes load features for every possible use, even the ones your site never shows.
Fix: use a lighter theme, or have the key pages built cleanly so they load only what they need.
5. Too many fonts, videos and pop-ups
Each extra font, background video or chat widget is another file to download before the page settles.
Fix: stick to one or two fonts, load videos only when someone plays them, and keep pop-ups to a minimum.
What to fix first
Compress and resize your images.
Remove unused plugins and apps.
Check your hosting and caching.
Then look at the theme, fonts and extras.
Want to know exactly what is slowing your site down? I offer a free audit: send me your link and I will check speed on mobile, how it looks on phones and tablets, the SEO basics, your calls to action and any broken links, then email you what to fix first.
Frequently asked questions
- How fast should a website load?
- On a phone, the first screen should appear within a few seconds. If it takes longer, visitors leave and Google ranks you lower.
- What is the quickest way to speed up my website?
- Resize and compress your images and save them in a modern format like WebP. This alone often makes the biggest difference.
- Do plugins slow down a website?
- Yes. Every plugin or app can add its own scripts, so ten small ones add up to a heavy page. Remove what you do not use.
- Can I get my website checked for free?
- Yes. Send me your link and I will check speed on mobile, how it looks on phones and tablets, the SEO basics, your calls to action and any broken links, then email you what to fix first.
Full-stack Developer