How to speed up WordPress: a practical checklist

A slow WordPress site loses visitors and rankings. The good news is that most of the gains come from a handful of changes, in a predictable order.

Start with hosting fundamentals

No plugin can fix a slow server. NVMe storage, a modern web server with server-side caching and HTTP/3 support are the foundation.

1. Turn on server-side caching

Full-page caching removes most database work for logged-out visitors. Combine it with an object cache if your theme is query-heavy.

2. Optimise images

Images are usually the biggest payload. Serve modern formats (WebP/AVIF), set width and height to avoid layout shift, and lazy-load anything below the fold.

3. Keep the database tidy

Clear post revisions, transients and orphaned metadata. A lean database responds faster and backs up quicker.

4. Audit plugins and themes

Deactivate anything you do not use. One badly written plugin can undo every other optimisation.

Measure before and after

Check your TTFB and total load time before you start, then re-measure after each change. Use our HTTP header checker to confirm caching headers are being sent correctly.

Quick wins checklist

• Modern hosting with server-side caching

• WebP/AVIF images with correct dimensions

• Database cleanup

• Remove unused plugins

• A CDN if you serve visitors far away

Do these in order and you will usually see the biggest gains before you spend anything on a CDN.