Published: 10.09.2026
A fast website keeps visitors and ranks better. These steps work on any hosting and give measurable results.
Hosting and server
- Use a current PHP version. Each major version is faster than the previous one.
- Choose fast storage. SSD or NVMe disks speed up the database.
- Enable the object cache. Redis or Memcached reduces database queries.
- Enable OPcache where it is supported by your hosting and check the recommendations of your platform.
Caching and delivery
- Use a page cache plugin or the server-level cache.
- Enable gzip or Brotli compression.
- Serve static files through a CDN.
- Set long browser cache lifetimes for images, scripts and styles.
Images
- Resize images to the size they are displayed at.
- Convert to WebP or AVIF.
- Enable lazy loading for images below the fold.
Code and plugins
- Remove plugins you do not use; each one adds code and queries.
- Choose a light theme and avoid page builders that load heavy scripts.
- Clean the database: revisions, spam comments and expired transients.
- Limit external scripts such as chat widgets and trackers.
Measure before and after
Use tools such as PageSpeed Insights or WebPageTest and note the load time, the Largest Contentful Paint and the server response time. Change one thing at a time so that you can see what helps.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good response time? Under 200-300 ms for the first byte on cached pages.
Do I need a paid cache plugin? Free plugins are enough for most sites, if configured properly.
