Why your website is slow, and how to speed it up
A slow website costs you customers. Here is why sites get slow, from heavy images to cheap hosting, and what actually speeds them up, with a free mobile speed test.
A slow website quietly costs you customers. People expect a page to appear almost instantly, and when it does not, many leave before they have seen anything. Google also ranks slow sites lower.
Why speed matters more than people think
Visitors start abandoning a page after just a few seconds, and every extra second increases how many leave. For a business, that is enquiries walking out the door before they arrive.
How to measure it (free)
Our free website check runs Google's own mobile speed test and gives you a score out of 100, along with the specific things slowing your pages down, tested the way a real visitor on a phone would experience it.
1. Images that are too big
The most common cause by far. A photo straight off a phone can be several megabytes, far larger than a web page needs. Properly sized and compressed images often cut load time dramatically with no visible loss in quality.
2. Too many plugins and scripts
Every plugin, tracker and third-party widget adds weight. Sites often accumulate add-ons that are no longer used but still slow every visit. Removing what is not needed is one of the easiest wins.
3. Slow or cheap hosting
If the server itself is slow to respond, everything else waits on it. Faster hosting, caching, and a delivery network that serves your site from close to your customers all make a real difference.
4. No caching
Without caching, your site rebuilds every page from scratch for every visitor. Caching serves a ready-made version instantly, which can turn a sluggish site into a fast one.
Quick wins versus a proper fix
Compressing images and removing unused plugins are things many owners can do themselves. If the site is still slow after that, the cause is usually the hosting or how the site is built. Either way, measure first so you fix the real problem.
Common questions
What is a good website speed score?
On Google's test, 90 and above is good, 50 to 89 needs work, and below 50 is poor. Scores are measured for a visitor on a phone.
Will a faster website rank higher on Google?
Speed is one factor, especially on mobile. A faster site will not outrank strong competitors on speed alone, but a slow site is actively held back.
Why is my website fast for me but slow for others?
Your browser stores a copy after your first visit, so it feels fast to you. New visitors get the full load time. Testing tools measure that real first-visit experience.