Why your website loads slowly (and how to fix it)

Did you know that 53% of users abandon a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load? A slow site not only frustrates your visitors, it also affects your Google ranking and, most importantly, makes you lose sales.

In this article, I’ll explain the most common causes of a slow site and how to fix them practically.

🚨 Why speed matters

Before getting into solutions, it’s important to understand the real impact:

• Conversions: Amazon discovered that for every 100ms improvement in speed, sales increase by 1%
• SEO: Google has used speed as a ranking factor since 2021
• Experience: Users expect your site to load in less than 2 seconds
• Mobile: 70% of web traffic is mobile, where speed is even more critical

🔍 Main causes of slowness

1. Unoptimized images

The problem: Images represent 50-70% of a web page’s weight. Uploading photos directly from your camera or phone can add several unnecessary megabytes.

The solution:

• Compress images before uploading (use TinyPNG or Squoosh)
• Use modern formats: WebP or AVIF (reduce weight by 30-50%)
• Implement lazy loading (load images only when the user will see them)
• Define exact dimensions to avoid reflows

Expected result: 40-60% reduction in total page weight.

2. Inadequate hosting

The problem: Cheap shared hosting can have hundreds of sites on the same server, competing for resources.

The solution:

• Migrate to specialized hosting (VPS, Cloud)
• Use CDN (Content Delivery Network) like Cloudflare
• Consider modern solutions like Vercel, Netlify, or Cloudflare Pages

Expected result: 200-500ms improvement in server response time.

3. Too many plugins/scripts

The problem: Each WordPress plugin, each chat widget, each analytics script adds weight and processing.

The solution:

• Audit and eliminate plugins you don’t actively use
• Load scripts asynchronously
• Use Google Tag Manager to centralize scripts
• Consider lighter alternatives

Expected result: 1-3 seconds reduction in load time.

4. Unoptimized JavaScript and CSS

The problem: Large code files block initial page rendering.

The solution:

• Minify CSS and JavaScript
• Eliminate unused code (tree shaking)
• Split code into smaller chunks
• Use Critical CSS for above-the-fold content

Expected result: 30-50% improvement in First Contentful Paint (FCP).

5. No browser cache

The problem: Without cache, the browser downloads everything again on each visit.

The solution:

• Configure appropriate cache headers
• Use service workers for advanced cache
• Implement server cache (Redis, Memcached)

Expected result: Recurring visits 80-90% faster.

🛠️ Tools to measure speed

Before optimizing, you need to measure. Use these free tools:

1. Google PageSpeed Insights - Official Google analysis with Core Web Vitals metrics
2. GTmetrix - Detailed analysis with specific recommendations
3. WebPageTest - Advanced testing from multiple locations
4. Chrome DevTools - Real-time analysis during development

📊 Key metrics to watch

Google uses these metrics to evaluate your site:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): < 2.5s - When main content appears
• FID (First Input Delay): < 100ms - Response to first interaction
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): < 0.1 - Visual stability during loading

💡 Real case: From 7 seconds to less than 1 second

I worked with an e-commerce that took 7.2 seconds to load. These were the changes:

1. Image optimization: -3.5s
2. Migration to Cloudflare Pages: -1.2s
3. Elimination of unnecessary plugins: -1.8s
4. Lazy loading implementation: -0.7s

Final result: 0.9 seconds load time - 87% improvement

Conversions increased by 23% in the first month.

✅ Optimization checklist

Use this list to audit your site:

• Optimized images in modern format
• CDN configured
• Scripts loading asynchronously
• Minified CSS and JS
• Browser cache configured
• Hosting adequate for your traffic
• Lazy loading implemented
• Less than 10 HTTP requests
• Optimized fonts (Google Fonts with display=swap)
• No unnecessary plugins/scripts

🚀 Need professional help?

If your site is slow and you don’t know where to start, I can help. I perform performance audits and comprehensive optimization that typically achieve:

• 40-70% improvement in load speed
• 15-30% increase in conversions
• Better Google ranking thanks to Core Web Vitals

Let’s talk about your project →

Was this article helpful? Share it with someone who has a slow site. And if you have questions, write me at hello@fline.studio.