What really slows SMB WordPress sites

• Unoptimized images (huge hero JPGs, no lazy-load).
• Too many plugins or heavy page builders injecting large CSS/JS.
• Render‑blocking scripts and unused CSS.
• Slow TTFB from overloaded shared hosting or chatty plugins.
• Third‑party embeds (chat, analytics, ads) loading early.

Must‑do settings: compression, caching, fonts, lazy‑load

• Images: serve WebP/AVIF; use responsive sizes (srcset); lazy‑load below‑the‑fold.
• Minify & defer: defer non‑critical JS; inline small critical CSS; remove unused CSS where safe.
• Fonts: prefer system fonts or host Google Fonts locally; font-display: swap; preload key files.
• Caching: enable full‑page caching; add object caching (Redis) on VPS for database‑heavy sites.
• Housekeeping: remove unused plugins/themes; disable features you don’t use (emoji, embeds).

Core Web Vitals basics (LCP, CLS, INP)

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): optimize your hero (image/heading), compress, serve from cache/CDN, and reduce TTFB.
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): reserve space for images/embeds; avoid layout‑shifting banners or late‑loading fonts.
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint): break up long tasks, defer heavy scripts, and limit big third‑party widgets.

SSL and HTTP/2/HTTP/3

Enable your free SSL (padlock) and make sure you’re on HTTP/2 or HTTP/3—both improve parallelism and latency. With SSL + modern HTTP, assets are multiplexed efficiently and browsers can start rendering sooner.

When the hosting tier matters

• Shared → VPS when you see resource limit errors, WooCommerce growth, or traffic spikes.
• VPS gives you dedicated CPU/RAM, higher PHP memory limits, and Redis for object caching.
• Ask our team for a right‑sized recommendation: Open a Ticket.

Download the checklist

Speed Checklist

Next step: Choose a plan and start optimizing: Shared Hosting or VPS Hosting. Need help? Open a Ticket.