How to Increase Website Speed: Google’s Top Tips

Does your website take too long to open? A slow website can annoy visitors and make simple tasks feel difficult.

In this guide, you will learn how to increase website speed using simple and practical methods. You can understand the basics in about 20 to 30 minutes, and the difficulty level is beginner-friendly.

You do not need to become a web developer first. I will explain how to test your site, improve images, use caching, reduce heavy files, check hosting, remove unwanted plugins, and make your pages load faster.

Let's dive in!

Things You Need Before You Start Improving Website Speed

Before you start making changes, prepare a few basic things. Don't worry. You do not need expensive tools or years of web experience.

Here are the main things you should have:

• Your Website URL: Keep the exact page address ready so you can test its loading speed.
• Website Login Details: You may need access to WordPress, Shopify, or another website system.
• Hosting Account Access: You may need hosting settings for caching, PHP, compression, or server changes.
• A Website Backup: Create a full backup before changing plugins, themes, code, or database settings.
• PageSpeed Insights: Use this free Google tool to find common speed problems.
• A Test Page: Start with one important page, such as your homepage, product page, or service page.
• Some Free Time: Make changes carefully instead of changing everything at once.

Step-by-Step Guide to Increase Website Speed

Great! Now you have the basic things you need to get started.

The next step is to understand the complete website speed improvement process. Don't worry if this is your first time doing it. I'll guide you through each part in simple words.

Here are the steps we will follow:

• Step 1: Test Your Current Website Speed
• Step 2: Understand the Main Speed Scores
• Step 3: Improve Your Website Hosting
• Step 4: Turn On Website Caching
• Step 5: Use a Content Delivery Network
• Step 6: Reduce Image File Sizes
• Step 7: Lazy Load Images and Videos
• Step 8: Reduce CSS and HTML File Sizes
• Step 9: Reduce Unnecessary JavaScript
• Step 10: Remove Extra Plugins and Website Features
• Step 11: Optimize Website Fonts
• Step 12: Reduce Third-Party Tools
• Step 13: Clean and Improve Your Website Database
• Step 14: Reduce Redirects and Unwanted Requests
• Step 15: Improve Mobile Website Speed
• Step 16: Fix Content That Moves While Loading
• Step 17: Compress Website Files
• Step 18: Test Your Website Again

Let's explore each step one by one so you know exactly what to do next.

Step 1: Test Your Current Website Speed

You should first find out how your website currently performs. Testing gives you a starting point. It also shows which problems need your attention first.

You can use Google PageSpeed Insights to test any public page. The tool checks a page and gives performance information and improvement suggestions.

Start with these pages:

• Your homepage
• An important blog post
• A product page
• A service page
• Your contact page
• Your checkout page, if you run an online store

Do not test only your homepage.

For example, your homepage may work well while a product page loads slowly because it contains 15 large product images.

Practical tip: Save your first results before making changes. You can compare them with your new results later.

Step 2: Understand the Main Speed Scores

You may see many numbers in a website speed report. Do not let them confuse you. Start with Google's three main Core Web Vitals.

Largest Contentful Paint

LCP checks how quickly the main visible content loads. This could be:

• A large banner
• A product image
• A large heading
• A large content section

Google recommends an LCP of 2.5 seconds or less for a good experience.

Interaction to Next Paint

INP checks how quickly your website reacts after someone clicks or taps something. For example, a visitor may click:

• Add to Cart
• Menu
• Search
• Product filter
• Contact button

Google recommends an INP of 200 milliseconds or less.

Cumulative Layout Shift

CLS checks whether things suddenly move while the page loads. Google recommends a CLS score of 0.1 or less. You do not need to become an expert in these terms.

Just remember:

• LCP: How fast important content appears.
• INP: How fast the page reacts.
• CLS: How stable the page looks.

Step 3: Improve Your Website Hosting

Your hosting stores your website and sends its files to visitors. Slow hosting can delay your whole website.

Think about ordering food from a restaurant. Even the fastest delivery driver cannot help much if the restaurant takes 30 minutes to prepare your order.

Your hosting server works in a similar way. Look for hosting that provides:

• Fast storage
• Enough memory
• Good server response
• Server caching
• Modern PHP support for WordPress
• Data centers near your visitors
• Reliable uptime

Very cheap shared hosting may work for a small website. A growing website may need a stronger hosting plan.

Beginner mistake: Do not buy expensive hosting without checking whether hosting actually causes your problem.

Test first.

Step 4: Turn On Website Caching

Caching saves ready copies of website content. Your server can send those saved copies instead of rebuilding the same page every time. Imagine a bakery preparing the same cake from the beginning for every customer.

That wastes time.

Caching works like keeping common parts ready. You can use:

• Page caching: Saves ready versions of pages.
• Browser caching: Saves files in the visitor's browser.
• Server caching: Helps the hosting server handle repeated requests faster.

WordPress users can often enable caching through their host or one good caching plugin.

Important: Avoid using several caching plugins at the same time.

They may conflict with each other.

Step 5: Use a Content Delivery Network

A Content Delivery Network, or CDN, keeps copies of website files in different locations. It can send files from a server closer to your visitor.

For example, imagine your main server sits in the United States while a visitor opens your website from Australia.

The files need to travel a long distance. A CDN may have a server closer to the Australian visitor, which can reduce that distance.

A CDN can help with:

• Images
• CSS files
• JavaScript files
• Videos
• Other static website files

A CDN becomes especially useful when people visit your website from several countries.

Step 6: Reduce Image File Sizes

Large images cause many website speed problems. A photo from a modern phone may have a file size of several megabytes. Your website often does not need such a large file.

Resize Images

Upload images close to the size your page actually needs. For example:

• Your blog displays an image at 900 pixels wide.
• You upload a photo that measures 5000 pixels wide.

The visitor may download much more data than needed.

Compress Images

Compression reduces file size. Try to keep images clear while making their files smaller. For example:

• Before: 2.5 MB
• After: 250 KB

That change can make a big difference.

Use Modern Formats

Consider formats such as:

• WebP
• AVIF

These formats can often provide smaller files while keeping good image quality.

Google also recommends reducing image size and using modern formats when optimizing important page images.

Step 7: Lazy Load Images and Videos

Lazy loading means that the browser waits before loading content farther down the page. Imagine an article with 25 images. The visitor can only see the first few images when the page opens.

Why should the browser immediately download image number 25?

Lazy loading solves this problem. Use lazy loading for:

• Images farther down the page
• YouTube videos
• Maps
• Embedded content

However, do not lazy load your main top image if it acts as the page's LCP image.

Google's current guidance says lazy loading an LCP image can delay it. The browser should discover important LCP content early.

You can also give an important image more loading priority with fetchpriority="high" when it makes sense.

Step 8: Reduce CSS and HTML File Sizes

HTML creates the basic page structure. CSS controls how your website looks. Large files take more time to download and process.

You can improve them by:

• Removing unused CSS
• Removing old design code
• Minifying CSS
• Minifying HTML
• Loading only the styles a page needs

Minifying simply means removing extra spaces and other parts that the browser does not need.

You normally do not need to minify files by hand.

Many caching tools and hosting services can do it for you.

Beginner tip: Check your pages after turning on minification. Some websites may need small setting changes.

Step 9: Reduce Unnecessary JavaScript

JavaScript adds interactive features to a website. It can control things such as:

• Menus
• Sliders
• Forms
• Shopping carts
• Popups
• Filters
• Animations

JavaScript helps websites do useful things. But too much JavaScript can slow loading and make buttons respond slowly.

Third-party and large JavaScript files can also hurt page responsiveness. Improve JavaScript by:

• Removing code you no longer use
• Delaying less important scripts
• Loading scripts only on pages that need them
• Removing unnecessary animations
• Avoiding several tools that perform the same task

For example, your blog page does not need every script used by your checkout page.

Step 10: Remove Extra Plugins and Website Features

This step matters a lot for WordPress users. Plugins add new features. The problem starts when you install many plugins that you do not need.

Review every plugin and ask: Do I still use this?

Remove plugins that:

• Perform the same job as another plugin
• Add features you never use
• Have poor performance
• Have not received updates
• Load unnecessary files

Also review:

• Sliders
• Popups
• Animated counters
• Social feeds
• Page-builder add-ons
• Extra widgets

One badly built plugin can create more problems than several small plugins. So, do not focus only on the number of plugins. Focus on what each plugin does.

Step 11: Optimize Website Fonts

Custom fonts make websites look attractive. However, every extra font file adds more work. You may have separate files for:

• Regular text
• Medium text
• Bold text
• Extra bold text
• Italic text

Do you really need all of them? Keep your font setup simple.

Try to:

• Use one or two font families
• Use only the font weights you need
• Remove unused fonts
• Load important fonts properly
• Consider system fonts when they suit your design

For example, using three useful font weights makes more sense than loading nine weights when visitors only see three.

Step 12: Reduce Third-Party Tools

Third-party tools come from services outside your website. Examples include:

• Analytics tools
• Advertising tools
• Facebook Pixel
• Chat boxes
• Heatmaps
• Social media widgets
• Review systems
• Video players
• Tracking scripts

Each tool may add more files and requests. Do not remove useful business tools just to improve a speed score.

Instead, ask: Do I really need this tool?

Remove old tools you no longer use. Also avoid using several tools that collect almost the same information.

Step 13: Clean and Improve Your Website Database

Many websites store information inside a database. WordPress databases may contain:

• Posts
• Pages
• Comments
• Settings
• Product data
• Old revisions
• Temporary information

Over time, unnecessary information can build up. You can clean items such as:

• Spam comments
• Unneeded post revisions
• Expired temporary data
• Leftover plugin data

Always create a backup before cleaning your database. For large websites, ask an experienced developer before making major database changes.

Step 14: Reduce Redirects and Unwanted Requests

A redirect sends visitors from one URL to another.

For example: Old URL → New URL

A useful redirect causes no major problem. Long redirect chains create extra work.

Avoid setups like: Page A → Page B → Page C → Page D

Whenever possible, send Page A directly to Page D.

Also check for:

• Missing images
• Deleted files
• Broken scripts
• Old font files
• Broken CSS files

Your browser may still waste time asking for files that no longer exist.

Step 15: Improve Mobile Website Speed

Many visitors use mobile phones. A website that feels fast on your office computer may feel slow on a cheaper phone with mobile internet.

Test your mobile pages carefully. Look for:

• Oversized images
• Large video backgrounds
• Heavy menus
• Too many animations
• Popups covering the screen
• Slow buttons
• Large scripts
• Unwanted widgets

Keep mobile pages clean and light. For example, a large video background may look attractive on a desktop computer but create a slow experience on mobile.

Step 16: Fix Content That Moves While Loading

Have you ever tried to click a button, but the button suddenly moved? That creates a poor experience. Common causes include:

• Images without fixed space
• Ads appearing late
• Popups appearing above content
• Videos changing page size
• Fonts changing after loading

You can reduce this problem by:

• Setting image width and height
• Reserving space for ads
• Reserving space for videos
• Avoiding surprise content above the page
• Loading fonts correctly

These changes can help improve your CLS score.

Step 17: Compress Website Files

Your server can compress website files before sending them to visitors. Smaller files usually travel faster. Common compression methods include:

• Gzip
• Brotli

Many modern hosting services and CDN tools can enable compression for you. Think of packing clothes inside a compression bag. The clothes stay the same, but the package takes up less space.

Website file compression follows a similar idea.

Step 18: Test Your Website Again

You have made your changes. Now check the results. Run PageSpeed Insights again and compare the new results with your first test.

Check:

• Mobile performance
• Desktop performance
• LCP
• INP
• CLS
• Main page loading
• Buttons
• Forms
• Menus
• Shopping cart
• Checkout

Do not make 20 major changes before testing. A better process looks like this:

1. Test your page.
2. Save the result.
3. Make one important change.
4. Clear your cache.
5. Test again.
6. Check whether anything broke.
7. Continue to the next improvement.

This method makes it much easier to find what actually helped.

Tips to Increase Website Speed Faster

So, guys, now that you've learned the complete step-by-step process, I'd like to share some practical tips that can help you improve your website speed more easily.

• Fix Big Problems First: Start with large images, slow hosting, caching, and heavy scripts.
• Test Mobile First: Mobile visitors often feel speed problems more than desktop users.
• Compress Before Uploading: Reduce image size before adding new images to your site.
• Keep Your Design Simple: Remove animations and sections that add little value.
• Use Fewer Tools: Keep only plugins and tracking tools that you actually need.
• Check Important Pages: Test product, service, blog, category, and checkout pages.
• Change One Thing at a Time: This helps you see which improvement actually worked.
• Keep Backups: Always save your website before changing important settings.
• Update Your Website: Keep your theme, plugins, and website software updated.
• Focus on Real Visitors: Do not sacrifice useful features only to chase a perfect score.

Common Website Speed Mistakes Beginners Should Avoid

Guys, every beginner makes mistakes when learning something new. Website speed improvement is no different.

The good news is that you can avoid many problems when you know about them early. Here are some common mistakes:

• Trying to Reach 100 at Any Cost: Focus on real visitor experience instead of chasing one perfect score.
• Using Too Many Speed Plugins: Several optimization plugins can create conflicts.
• Lazy Loading the Main Image: Your important top image often needs to load early.
• Uploading Huge Images: Resize and compress photos before placing them on your site.
• Removing Important Scripts: Test menus, forms, carts, and tracking after changing JavaScript.
• Ignoring Mobile Speed: A fast desktop result does not guarantee a fast mobile website.
• Changing Everything Together: Make changes in small groups so you can find problems easily.
• Ignoring Hosting Quality: Front-end fixes cannot fully solve a very slow server.
• Using Too Many Fonts: Extra font files can add unnecessary loading time.
• Keeping Old Plugins: Remove plugins and features you no longer need.
• Skipping Backups: Always protect your website before making major changes.

Helpful Tools for Beginners Who Want to Improve Website Speed

You don't need dozens of tools to improve website speed. A few trusted tools can help you find problems and measure your progress.

• Google PageSpeed Insights: Tests your page and shows performance problems and useful suggestions.
• Chrome DevTools: Helps you check loading files, scripts, errors, and website performance.
• Google Search Console: Shows Core Web Vitals information when Google has enough real-user data for your pages.
• Lighthouse: Tests performance and several other parts of a webpage.
• WebPageTest: Gives detailed information about how different parts of a page load.

Use tools to find problems. Do not install a new plugin for every warning you see.

How Long Does It Take to Increase Website Speed?

Before we finish this guide, let's answer one question many beginners have: “How long does it take to increase website speed?”

There is no single answer.

The time depends on your website and its problems. A small website may show clear improvements in a few hours. A large online store may need several days or longer.

Here is a simple example:

• Basic image fixes: A few minutes to a few hours
• Caching setup: Around an hour for a simple website
• Plugin cleanup: A few hours
• Hosting change: Several hours or more
• Code cleanup: A few hours to several days
• Large database work: Several hours or longer
• Full website optimization: One day to several days for many small websites

Your skill level also matters.

A beginner may need more time because they need to learn each setting first.

That is completely fine. Do not rush. A safe improvement matters more than a fast change.

Which Website Speed Problems Should You Fix First?

You may find many warnings after testing your website. Do not try to fix everything at once.

Use this order:

1. Slow hosting or server response
2. Large images
3. Missing caching
4. Heavy JavaScript
5. Unused plugins
6. Too many third-party tools
7. Large CSS files
8. Videos and other heavy media
9. Font problems
10. Database and redirect issues

Start with the problem that creates the biggest delay. Then test again.

Final Thoughts

In this guide, we covered everything a beginner needs to know about how to increase website speed.

You learned how to test your website, understand important speed scores, improve hosting, enable caching, optimize images, reduce heavy code, remove unnecessary plugins, use a CDN, improve mobile speed, and test your results.

You do not need to fix everything in one day.

I recommend starting with your slowest important page. Test it first. Then fix the biggest problem and test again. Continue this process until the page feels fast and works smoothly.

Also remember one important point: Do not improve speed only for a score. Improve speed for the people using your website.

And yes, if you need professional help finding and fixing website speed problems, you can also get expert website optimization support from us. 

FAQs 

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions related to how to increase website speed: