To make your website load faster, start by testing it with Google PageSpeed Insights, then fix the usual causes: oversized images, slow hosting, too many plugins and third-party scripts, and missing caching. These few changes often cut loading time in half. Aim for your main content to appear within 2.5 seconds on a phone, which is Google's benchmark for a good experience.
Speed matters even more in Kenya, where most people browse on their phones over mobile data. A heavy page costs your visitors bundles and patience, and Google research from 2017 found that as page load time goes from one second to three, the chance of a visitor leaving rises by 32%. Here is how to find out what is slowing your site down and fix it.
How to Test Your Website Speed
- Google PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev): paste your address to see a score, real-visitor data where available, and a list of specific fixes. Always check the Mobile tab first.
- Google Search Console: the Core Web Vitals report groups your pages into Good, Needs improvement and Poor, based on real visits.
- A real phone test: open your site on a mid-range Android phone using mobile data, not office Wi-Fi. If it feels slow to you, it feels slow to customers.
Core Web Vitals in Plain English
Google measures page experience with three Core Web Vitals. A page passes when at least 75% of visits meet the "good" mark.
| Metric | What it measures | Good |
|---|---|---|
| Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | How quickly the main content, usually the hero image or headline, appears | 2.5 seconds or less |
| Interaction to Next Paint (INP) | How quickly the page responds when someone taps or clicks | 200 milliseconds or less |
| Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | How much the layout jumps around while loading | 0.1 or less |
INP replaced the older First Input Delay (FID) metric in March 2024, so ignore any advice that still talks about FID.
10 Ways to Make Your Website Faster
1. Resize and compress your images
Images are the most common reason a site is slow. A photo straight from a phone or camera can be several megabytes and thousands of pixels wide, when the page only needs a fraction of that. Resize images to the largest size they actually display at, save them in modern formats such as WebP or AVIF, and compress them. Most images on a business site should be well under 200 KB.
2. Lazy-load images further down the page
Add loading="lazy" to images below the first screen so the browser only downloads them when the visitor scrolls near them. Do not lazy-load the main hero image, because that delays your LCP.
3. Give images and embeds fixed dimensions
Set a width and height on images, videos and ad slots. The browser can then reserve the space before they load, which stops the page from jumping and keeps your CLS low.
4. Choose better hosting
Cheap shared hosting packed with thousands of sites is often the hidden cause of slow loading. Look for hosting with fast SSD or NVMe storage, a recent PHP version, enough memory for your site, and servers reasonably close to your visitors. Ask your host where their servers are and how they handle traffic spikes.
5. Use a content delivery network (CDN)
A CDN stores copies of your images, styles and scripts on servers around the world, including in Africa, so visitors download them from somewhere nearby. Cloudflare's free plan is a common starting point.
6. Cut plugins and third-party scripts
Every chat widget, slider, social feed, tracking pixel and pop-up adds code the phone has to download and run. Remove anything you do not use, and keep only the tools that earn their place. This is the biggest win for many WordPress sites.
7. Turn on caching
Caching saves ready-made copies of your pages so the server does not rebuild them for every visitor. On WordPress, a caching plugin or your host's built-in cache does this. Also make sure browser caching is on, so returning visitors reuse files they already have.
8. Load fonts carefully
Use one or two font families and only the weights you need, serve them in WOFF2 format, and use font-display: swap so text shows immediately in a fallback font while the custom font loads.
9. Minify and defer CSS and JavaScript
Minifying removes spaces and comments from code files so they are smaller. Deferring JavaScript lets the page show content before scripts run. Most caching plugins and modern build tools can do both.
10. Keep everything updated
Newer versions of PHP, WordPress, themes and plugins are usually faster and safer. Moving an old site from PHP 7 to a current PHP 8 version alone can make it noticeably quicker.
Quick Speed Checklist for WordPress Sites
- Use a lightweight, well-coded theme instead of a heavy all-in-one theme.
- Install one caching plugin, not several.
- Use an image optimisation plugin that converts uploads to WebP.
- Delete inactive plugins and themes.
- Limit page builders and their add-ons where you can.
- Clean up old revisions and spam comments in the database.
How Fast Is Fast Enough?
You do not need a perfect PageSpeed score of 100. Focus on passing the three Core Web Vitals on mobile, and on how fast the site feels on a real phone. A site that shows its main content in under 2.5 seconds, responds instantly to taps and does not jump around is fast enough for visitors and for Google.
When to Call a Professional
If you have fixed your images and plugins and the site is still slow, the problem may be the theme, the hosting, or how the site was built. A web designer can audit the site, fix the underlying causes, and in some cases recommend a rebuild. If you are weighing that up, our guide to WordPress vs a custom website can help you decide what to rebuild with.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does website speed affect Google rankings?
Yes. Core Web Vitals are part of the page experience signals Google uses. Relevant, helpful content still matters more, but between similar pages a faster one has an edge, and visitors are more likely to stay.
Why is my website fast on Wi-Fi but slow on my phone?
Mobile data connections are slower and less stable, and phones have less processing power than laptops. Heavy images and scripts that load fine on office Wi-Fi can crawl on a phone. Always test on mobile.
Do I need a PageSpeed score of 100?
No. The score is a lab test and a useful guide, but passing Core Web Vitals with real visitors matters more than chasing 100.
How often should I check my website speed?
Check after any big change, such as a new theme, plugin or page design, and review the Search Console Core Web Vitals report about once a month.
Final Thoughts
A fast website respects your visitors' time and data, and it helps you rank and sell. Start with images, hosting and plugins, measure with PageSpeed Insights, and keep checking as your site grows. If you would rather have it handled for you, see our web design services or tell us about your website.
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