A slow website usually means that your website is trying to do too much at once or that there are some scripts, plug-ins, or themes present that slow it down.
You should think of your website in this context as a trailer. Your trailer is attached to a car (our web hosting server). We ensure that the car runs smoothly, and you are responsible for what is inside the trailer. If there are too many unnecessary or heavy items (plug-ins/images/videos) in your trailer, the car will not be able to drive as fast. Therefore, make sure that only the necessary elements are present on your website to make the ride as smooth as possible.
Testing via your browser
The first thing you can do in this case is check what exactly your page is doing. To do this, open the Developer Console in Chrome or Firefox by pressing F12. In the new window that appears, click on the 'Network' tab and then go to your website.
At the bottom of the page, you will see some numbers, for example:
30 requests | 1.18 MB / 63 kB transferred | Load: 857 ms
- The first number, requests, indicates how many different elements your website is trying to load. Ideally, you want to keep this under 100 and as low as possible. Do not overload your website with hundreds of different images and such at once!
- The second number shows how large your website is when downloaded. Ideally, you want to keep this around or below 3MB, so it can be downloaded within a second on a 25Mbit connection. While the average internet speed increases each year, you still want people with slower (mobile) connections to load your website smoothly.
- The last number simply indicates how long it took for the website to load for you.
Optimizing your website
Media
Using large images on your website will increase loading times. There are various plug-ins available that automatically optimize images when you upload them. Also, make sure you are using the correct resolution in WordPress (Full size, Large, Medium, Thumbnail) for each image you add.
The number of images on your page also affects loading speed since each image creates a separate request. Try to be critical of your images and videos: Do you really need all of them, or can some be removed to improve your website’s speed?
Caching
Caching allows static content to load faster. Our Web hosting packages offer various caccaching options you can use. The fastest caching option is LiteSpeed, which we provide for standard Web hosting.
Don’t forget to clear your cache when you add new content to prevent visitors from seeing outdated versions of your site.
For Managed hosting packages, caching is automatically configured for you, so you don’t have to worry about it.
Theme
Take a critical look at the theme you are using. A poorly optimized theme with unnecessary or incorrect code can slow down your website. Try switching to a different theme to see if it improves loading speed.
Plug-ins
Plug-ins add functionality to your website, and some even improve speed. However, many websites install too many plug-ins, which can slow things down. Ensure that any plug-ins you don’t use are not just deactivated but completely removed.
For essential plug-ins, consider trying an alternative that performs the same function but with fewer requests.
Lazy Load
Are your pages very large, and is it difficult to reduce the number of requests? Then consider using Lazy Load. This ensures that only the visible part of the page is loaded first, while everything below the fold loads later. Lazy Load can easily be enabled using a plug-in.
Tools
You can analyze your website further using an online tool like PageSpeed Insights, which provides many optimization tips. You might not be able to follow all the advice (such as server settings on your hosting package), but it’s a good starting point!
There’s no easy way to optimize a website—it depends on what type of site you have. If you built it yourself (with Dreamweaver, Muse, or another platform), you’ll need to check your own code. If your website runs on WordPress, you can refer to the official WordPress Optimization page.
If you still have questions after reading this article, please contact our support team. You can reach them using the 'Contact Us' button at the bottom of this page.