Why is my website slow?
Slow websites are usually slow for a few ordinary reasons: big pictures, too many add-ons, struggling hosting. Here is how to check and what fixes it.
By Isaac Oluwayinka · · 3 min read
Most slow websites are slow for a handful of ordinary reasons: pictures far bigger than they need to be, too many add-ons and scripts, hosting that is struggling, and pages that make the visitor's phone do work the server should have done. These are usually fixable without starting again.
First, check it yourself
You can learn a lot in five minutes without any technical knowledge:
- Open your website on your phone, using mobile data rather than wifi. That is how many of your visitors see it.
- Try a page with lots of pictures, and try a page that is mostly text. If only the picture-heavy one is slow, the pictures are likely the problem.
- Run your address through Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool. It gives a score and, more usefully, a list of what is slowing the page down.
Do not worry if the report looks like another language. Send it to me and I will translate it.
The usual suspects
Pictures that are too big
A photo straight from a phone can be several times larger than a web page needs. The visitor downloads all of it, then the browser shrinks it to fit. Resizing and compressing pictures is often the single biggest improvement.
Too many add-ons
Every plugin, chat widget, tracking script and font adds something to download and run. Each seems small. Together they can slow a page badly. Ask of each one: do we still use this? Does it earn its place?
Hosting that is struggling
If your site shares a crowded server, or the server is far from your visitors, everything is slower. Better hosting, or putting a copy of your pages closer to visitors, can help a lot.
Work done in the wrong place
Some sites make the visitor's phone calculate and assemble the page. Others prepare the page in advance and send it ready. The second feels much faster, particularly on older phones.
A database that is slow to answer
On a site with logins, shops or lots of records, slow database questions are a common cause. The fix is in how the data is organised and asked for, not in the pictures.
What to do about it
Start with the easy things, meaning the pictures and the unused add-ons. If the page is still slow, look at hosting and then at how the site is built. I would rather tell you honestly that a few small changes will do it than suggest rebuilding something that only needs tuning.
Questions people ask
›How fast is fast enough?
A page that shows its content within a couple of seconds on a phone feels fine to most people. What matters is that visitors never feel they are waiting.
›Will a faster site help me show up in search?
Speed is one of the things search engines look at, among many. A faster site also keeps visitors from leaving, which helps whatever the search engines decide.
›Can you speed it up without rebuilding it?
Often, yes. Sometimes the slowest part is worth rebuilding on its own. I will tell you which after I have looked.
If your site is slow and you would like someone to look at it, ask for a free consultation. I also help with speed, security and reliability, and with fixing or rescuing a site or app that has gone wrong.
Thinking about a project of your own?
Tell me what you have in mind and we will talk it through. The first consultation is free.
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