A slow website makes it harder for customers to read, browse and contact you, especially on a phone. To improve it, first measure how the site loads for visitors, then find what slows it down. The cause is often simple: heavy photographs or third-party scripts that load before the content.

A quick check you can do yourself

  1. Open the site on your phone using mobile data, not Wi-Fi.
  2. Note how long it takes before you see the main heading and image.
  3. Tap the menu and a button. Does the page respond straight away?
  4. Watch whether text or buttons move while the page is loading.

These observations match the three measurements Google uses for page experience.

What Core Web Vitals measure

Core Web Vitals are three measurements describing how visitors experience a page. According to web.dev, a page is rated good when these values are met for at least 75% of visits:

  • LCP, loading: the largest visible element, usually the main image or heading, appears within 2.5 seconds.
  • INP, responsiveness: the page responds to a tap or click within 200 milliseconds.
  • CLS, visual stability: the layout does not shift unexpectedly while loading; the value should be 0.1 or less.

How to measure with PageSpeed Insights

Go to PageSpeed Insights, enter your address and choose the mobile result. The report has two parts:

  • Real-user data: shown when the site has enough visits, and reflects the actual experience.
  • Lab test: a single test under simulated conditions. It helps find causes, but the result varies from one run to the next.

Do not focus only on the 0 to 100 score. Check which measurement fails and read the suggestions linked to it.

The most common causes on business websites

Unprocessed photographs

A photograph from a phone can be several megabytes. On a website it should load at the size it is displayed and in a web-friendly format such as WebP. Images further down the page can load only when the visitor scrolls near them.

Third-party scripts

Chat widgets, embedded videos, maps and tracking or advertising code all add work for the browser. Keep only the ones you use and, where possible, load them after the main content appears.

Too many extensions or a heavy theme

On sites with an administration panel, each extension can add code to every page. Remove the ones you do not use and check whether the theme loads features you do not need.

A slow server response

If the delay happens before anything appears, the problem may be the hosting or the way pages are generated. Ask your provider about page caching and server location. See our hosting guide as well.

Elements without set dimensions

Images, banners and ads without a set width and height push the text down as they load. This raises CLS and can make a visitor tap the wrong button.

What you can fix yourself and what needs a developer

You can resize photographs before uploading them and remove third-party tools you no longer use. Changes to the theme, code, script loading and hosting usually need a developer. After every change, measure the same pages again and test the forms, menu and main features.

How we can help

We first check what slows the site down and which pages matter most to your customers, such as the home page, services or products. Then we propose fixes that suit how the site is built. A site can often be improved without rebuilding it from scratch. See website maintenance or send us your website address.