Website speed optimisation

Find out why your pages are slow, then fix the causes that matter

A slow website loses visitors before they have read a word, and it is often worst on the phones most of your customers use. We look at what is actually slowing your pages down and explain what can be done about it.

  • Measured on phones as well as desktops
  • Causes explained in plain English
  • Fixes and cost agreed before any work starts
Get Website Help How it works

What is happening?

Speed problems rarely have one cause. These are the signs people usually notice first.

  • Pages take several seconds to appearVisitors see a blank or half-drawn screen while the page loads, particularly on mobile data.
  • The page jumps around while loadingText moves as images or adverts appear, so people tap the wrong thing.
  • Buttons feel slow to respondMenus and forms take a moment to react because the browser is busy running scripts.
  • Fine on your computer, slow on phonesOffice broadband hides problems that customers on a phone signal notice straight away.
  • It has got slower over timeEach new plugin, tracking script or large photo added a little, until it added up.
  • The admin area is slow tooIf editing the website is also sluggish, the hosting itself may be struggling.

What we can investigate or fix

We start by measuring, so the work goes where it makes a real difference.

Measure and explain

Test key pages on mobile and desktop and show you, in plain terms, what is taking the time.

Resize and compress images

Large photos are the most common cause. Serving images at the right size and in modern formats often helps most.

Trim heavy scripts and plugins

Identify plugins, fonts, widgets and tracking code that load on every page, and remove or defer what is not needed.

Caching

Set up caching so pages are not rebuilt from scratch for every visitor, where your platform allows it.

Check the hosting

Look at whether the hosting has enough resources for your website, and tell you honestly if moving would help more than tuning.

Re-test afterwards

Measure again after the agreed changes, so you can see what changed.

Speed, in plain English

When someone opens a page, their phone has to download everything on it: text, images, fonts and code. It then has to work through that code before the page can be used. A slow page is usually doing one of three things: downloading too much, running too much code, or waiting too long for the server to reply.

Our job is to find out which of those applies to your website, and fix the ones that make the biggest difference for the least cost.

What information we need

A few details help us look in the right place.

  • Your website address, and the pages that feel slowest
  • Whether it is slow on phones, computers, or both
  • When you first noticed it, and anything added or changed around then
  • What the website is built with and who hosts it, if you know
  • Any speed test results or reports you have already been sent

Please never send passwords or login details through our forms or by email. If we need access to anything, we will agree a safe way to arrange it with you.

How assessment and quoting work

You always know what we plan to do, and what it will cost, before any work starts.

  1. Tell us what is happening

    Describe what you see and when it started. Screenshots of error messages help. Please never send passwords by form or email.

  2. We assess it

    We look at the problem and work out the likely cause. If we need access to anything, we agree a safe way to arrange it with you.

  3. You approve the fix

    We explain what we found, what we recommend and what it will cost. Nothing is done until you agree.

  4. We fix and check

    We carry out the agreed work, test it, and tell you what was done and anything to watch for.

Common questions

What are Core Web Vitals?

They are measurements Google uses to describe how a page feels to a visitor: how quickly the main content appears, how quickly the page responds when someone taps, and how much it jumps around while loading. They are a useful guide to real problems, but they are only one of many things that affect search results.

Can you guarantee a particular speed score?

No. Scores vary from test to test and depend on things outside anyone’s control, such as the visitor’s connection. We focus on fixing the causes and show you before and after measurements of the same pages.

Will a faster website rank higher on Google?

Speed is one factor among many, so we cannot promise a ranking change. A faster website is still worth having, because visitors are more likely to stay and get in touch.

Do I need new hosting?

Not always. Many slow websites are slowed by images and plugins rather than the hosting. If the hosting is the limit, we will tell you and explain the options, including our managed hosting.

Can you speed up any website?

Not every platform gives the same room to make changes. Tell us what your website runs on and we will confirm whether we can help before anything else happens.

Get Website Help

Tell us which pages are slow and when you notice it. We will reply by email with the next step.

Website help request

How urgent is it? (required)

What you see, when it started, and anything that changed around then. Please do not include passwords or login details.

Never send passwords through this form. If we need access to anything, we will agree a safe way to arrange it with you.

We use the details you send only to reply to your enquiry. See our privacy policy.