Performance Optimisation
Slow WordPress sites have one thing in common: somebody’s already tried to fix the speed and it didn’t work. Caching plugins installed. Images compressed. CDN turned on. PageSpeed Insights still showing 40s on mobile. The reason most performance optimisation fails is that it’s done generically — applying the same checklist to every site, without first diagnosing what’s actually slow.
I optimise differently. Diagnosis first, fixes second. The work targets your site’s specific bottlenecks, not a generic checklist.
What’s Included
- Full performance audit — Lighthouse, WebPageTest, Core Web Vitals analysis, server response analysis, query analysis
- Render-blocking resource elimination — JS and CSS audit, deferred loading, critical CSS extraction
- Image optimisation at scale — bulk conversion to WebP/AVIF, proper srcset/sizes, lazy loading done right
- Database optimisation — orphaned data cleanup, query optimisation, autoload bloat reduction
- Caching strategy — page caching, object caching, CDN configuration tuned to your site’s actual traffic patterns
- Theme and plugin audit — identifying the specific code or plugins causing slow loads (usually 1-2 plugins are responsible for 80% of the slowdown)
- Server and hosting recommendations — honest advice on whether your current host can deliver the performance you need, or whether a move is warranted
- Core Web Vitals tuning — LCP, INP, CLS optimisation with measurable before/after
How It Works
- Diagnose — Real-world testing from multiple locations, on real-world hardware (not just lab conditions), with detailed waterfall analysis
- Prioritise — Sort issues by user-perceived impact, not by what Lighthouse flags first. A 200ms reduction in LCP matters more than a 95→97 score change.
- Implement — Fixes applied directly to the site, tested, measured
- Verify — Re-test, compare, document the change. You should be able to see and feel the difference, not just read it in a report.
Is This Right for Your Business?
Performance optimisation makes sense if your PageSpeed Insights scores are below 70 on mobile, if your Core Web Vitals are flagged as “Poor” or “Needs Improvement” in GSC, if your site loads visibly slowly to users, or if your conversion rate is below industry benchmarks (slow sites convert worse — this is well-documented).
It’s especially important for ecommerce — every 100ms of load time correlates with a measurable drop in conversion. The investment pays for itself fast on stores doing serious volume.
Why Work With Me on Performance
I’ve spent years optimising WordPress sites that other developers had already given up on. The pattern is almost always the same — generic optimisation was applied (caching plugin, image compression, CDN), the easy wins were taken, and then nothing happened because nobody dug into the actual bottlenecks. That last 30% of optimisation is where real expertise pays off.
I’m also honest about the limits. Some sites can’t be made fast without rebuilding the theme. If that’s the situation, I’ll tell you up front rather than billing for incremental improvements that won’t move the needle. Often paired with technical SEO and ongoing maintenance.
Pricing & Timeline
Performance audits start at $1,500 (audit only). Audit + implementation packages run $2,500-$6,000 depending on scope and the depth of issues found. Complete site rebuilds for performance reasons priced as theme development projects. Most performance projects complete in 1-3 weeks.
Ready to Talk?
Free 30-minute call. I’ll run your site through a quick performance audit before we talk so I can come with specific observations. Schedule a call.