WordPress speed optimisation that survives the next update
We speed up WordPress sites for a living: plugin bloat, Elementor weight, slow hosting and untouched databases, all measured and fixed by UK engineers. Most sites reach 90+ on Lighthouse mobile, and we prove it with a before-and-after report.
What actually makes WordPress slow
WordPress is rarely slow for one reason. It is slow in layers, and each layer needs a different fix. These are the six we find on almost every audit.
Plugin bloat
Thirty plugins each loading their own CSS and JavaScript on every page, including pages that never use them. We map what loads where, then remove, replace or conditionally load.
Page builder weight
Elementor and Divi add heavy markup and assets by default. We strip unused widgets, trim builder CSS and preload fonts so the builder stays but the bloat goes.
Hosting and TTFB
If the server takes over a second to answer, nothing downstream can save you. We tune PHP, add server-level caching, or move you to managed WordPress hosting that responds in milliseconds.
Oversized images
Full-resolution photos scaled down in the browser are the single biggest LCP killer. We convert to WebP, resize properly and lazy-load everything below the fold.
WP-Cron and the database
WP-Cron firing on every visit, autoloaded options in the megabytes, post revisions in the tens of thousands. Invisible in the front end, deadly for response times. We clean and re-schedule.
Render-blocking themes
Themes that load every stylesheet and script before the page can paint. We defer, inline critical CSS and cut what never runs, without touching how the site looks.
Is your website slower than your competitors?
Run a real Lighthouse speed test free. See your scores and the exact fixes that would make your site faster.
A typical before and after
Mobile score 34 to 96 is a normal week here
From red to green in one engagement
A typical site arrives with a Lighthouse mobile score in the 30s, an LCP over six seconds and a Search Console full of failing URLs. After optimisation the same site scores 90+, paints its largest element in under 2.5 seconds and passes every Core Web Vitals threshold. You get both reports side by side, so the improvement is measured, not claimed.
- LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1: the thresholds Google actually measures
- Object caching added so logged-in and WooCommerce pages speed up too
- Before-and-after Lighthouse reports included with every job
Caching hides slowness. We remove it
Why another caching plugin will not save you
Most slow WordPress sites already have a caching plugin. Caching serves the second visitor faster; it does nothing about the 4MB page, the plugin loading jQuery three times or the server that takes 1.8 seconds to respond. Real WordPress speed work happens underneath the cache, which is why it is a service, not a plugin. It is one part of our wider page speed optimisation discipline.
- We fix the causes, then add caching as the final layer, not the first
- Checkout, basket and account pages get attention: caching cannot touch them
- Every change tested so speed gains never cost you a working feature
Two ways to get fast, one way to stay fast
Fixed prices, secure Stripe checkout, work starts within one business day. Prices exclude VAT.
Website Speed Fix
One-off deep optimisation. Most sites reach 90+ on Lighthouse mobile.
£349 one-off
- Full performance audit first
- Images, caching, scripts and fonts optimised
- Core Web Vitals: LCP, INP and CLS fixed
- Hosting-level tuning where possible
- Before and after report
- Measurable improvement or your money back
Speed Retainer
Continuous speed optimisation and Core Web Vitals protection.
£89 /month
£890 /year
- Monthly Lighthouse and CrUX review
- Core Web Vitals kept green in Search Console
- Image and script optimisation ongoing
- Plugin bloat control
- Monthly performance report
- Regression fixes included
Managed WordPress Hosting
Fast UK-based hosting with the technical management done for you.
£69 /month
£690 /year
- UK data centre, LiteSpeed-class performance
- Free migration from your current host
- Daily off-server backups included
- Free SSL, CDN and staging site
- WordPress updates managed
- UK support humans, not ticket bots
All prices exclude VAT. Cancel monthly plans any time. Secure card and Direct Debit payments powered by Stripe.
Measured, fixed, proven
Audit and baseline
We run Lighthouse and real-user CrUX data on your key pages, profile the server and map every plugin and script. You see exactly what is slow and why before anything changes.
Fix in the right order
Backup first, then hosting response, images, plugins, builder weight, caching. Biggest wins first, every change verified against a working copy of your site.
Prove it and protect it
You get the before-and-after report and plain-English notes on what we changed. Add the Speed Retainer and we keep the scores green as plugins, content and Google evolve.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my WordPress site so slow?
Usually a stack of small causes rather than one big one: too many plugins loading scripts on every page, a heavy page builder theme, full-size images, no object caching and a hosting server with a slow response time. A proper audit measures each layer, so you fix what is actually slow instead of guessing.
How can I speed up my WordPress website?
Start with measurements, not plugins. Test with Lighthouse, then work through the usual suspects: compress and lazy-load images, remove or replace bloated plugins, add page and object caching, defer render-blocking scripts and check your server response time. Or have us do the whole job for a fixed £349.
Do caching plugins like WP Rocket fix a slow WordPress site?
They help, but caching only hides the first problem it can reach. It does not shrink a 4MB Elementor page, fix a slow database query, remove plugin bloat or speed up your checkout, which is usually uncacheable. Most sites we fix already had a caching plugin installed and were still failing Core Web Vitals.
Does Elementor or Divi slow down WordPress?
Page builders add extra CSS, JavaScript and nested markup on every page, so builder sites are heavier by default. They can still be fast: we trim unused builder assets, disable modules you never use, preload the right fonts and tune the theme layer. You keep the builder and the editing freedom, you lose the weight.
How much does WordPress speed optimisation cost in the UK?
Our one-off Website Speed Fix is £349 excluding VAT and covers audit, fixes and a before-and-after report, with a money-back promise if we cannot show measurable improvement. Ongoing protection is £89 a month on the Speed Retainer. There are no day rates or open-ended hourly bills.
Will speed optimisation break my website?
Not the way we do it. Everything starts with a full backup, risky changes are tested before going live and we visually check key pages and forms after each change. Speed work that breaks the checkout is worse than a slow site, so verification is built into the process, not an afterthought.