Website speed optimisation and Core Web Vitals fixes
A faster website, without paying for a rebuild.
Your site feels slow, PageSpeed Insights says your Core Web Vitals assessment failed. I find what's slowing it down, fix the causes in order of impact, and measure the result, on most platforms and usually without a rebuild.
What is website speed optimisation?
Website speed optimisation is finding out why pages load slowly or react sluggishly, then fixing the causes: oversized images, heavy fonts, missing caching, slow hosting, too many scripts and plugins. The goal is a site that feels fast to real visitors and meets Google's Core Web Vitals: main content within 2.5 seconds, a response to a tap within 200 milliseconds, and a layout shift score of 0.1 or less.
What I fix
Slow sites are rarely slow for one reason. It's usually a stack of small things that each looked harmless when they went in. I measure first, then work through them in order of how much speed each one buys.
Images
The most common cause, and often the cheapest to fix. Photos uploaded straight from a camera or a stock library, sent at full size to a phone that shows them 400 pixels wide. I set up resized, modern formats such as WebP, the right size for each screen, and lazy loading for images further down the page, so the first screen isn't waiting on the last one.
Fonts
Web fonts block text from appearing until they arrive. I cut the number of font files, keep only the weights and characters the site uses, host them on your own domain and load them so text shows straight away.
Caching and hosting
A page that's built from scratch for every visitor is slow before anything else happens. I check page caching, browser caching, compression and whether a content delivery network would help. Sometimes the hosting itself is the bottleneck, and I'll tell you if it is. Often it isn't, and better caching on the host you have is enough.
Scripts and tag managers
Chat widgets, heatmaps, ad pixels, old tracking codes and tags left in Google Tag Manager from campaigns that ended years ago. Each one costs time on every page. I list what's loading, ask what you still use, remove the rest and delay what can wait until after the page is usable.
Plugins and themes
On platforms such as WordPress, a heavy theme or page builder and a long list of plugins can load code on every page whether it's needed or not. I find which ones cost the most, and replace, trim or configure them. If the theme itself is the problem, I'll show you the evidence before anyone talks about a rebuild.
Core Web Vitals
Google measures three things on real visits: how fast the main content appears (largest contentful paint), how quickly the page responds to a tap or click (interaction to next paint) and how much the layout jumps as it loads (cumulative layout shift). I fix each against Google's targets, then watch the field data in Search Console until it catches up.
Measured on this site, 6 October 2026
This site, before and after
This site was already quick, so these are the last few points rather than a rescue. They show the method, though: measure, find what the largest paint is waiting on, fix that, measure again. Two changes did most of it:
- The hero photo: a smaller version for phones, loaded lazily, because on a phone it sits below the first screen and was competing with the headline for bandwidth.
- The stylesheet: inlined into the page, so the first paint no longer waits on a separate request.
Lighthouse is a lab test on one simulated phone. Google's Core Web Vitals assessment uses real visits over 28 days, so I report both, and I don't call a job done on a lab score alone.
How it works
- Before we talkA first lookSend me the URL. I run your main pages through PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse before the call, so we start with your numbers.
- Day 1A 20-minute callFree. What's slow, what you've already tried, and whether the cause looks obvious or needs a proper look.
- DiagnoseHealth Check or a straight fixIf the cause is clear, I estimate the hours and start. If speed is one symptom among several, the Website Health Check finds the rest and ranks every fix.
- Fix and measureFixes on hours or a fixed scopePrepaid hours for most jobs, or a fixed price for a larger, well-defined piece of work. You get before and after figures for each page I touch.
What it costs
Prices in AUD, ex GST. Hours are logged in 6 minute blocks; prepaid hours roll over and expire 12 months after you buy them.
Website speed help in Melbourne and Australia-wide
I'm based in Melbourne and work on sites for businesses and not for profits across Australia, remotely. I've spent more than ten years running websites, including as Head of Digital at a large residential home builder, so I look at speed the way the business does: fewer people leaving, more enquiries, not a score for its own sake.
You might have searched for a WordPress speed optimisation service, a page speed optimisation service, how to speed up a WordPress website, or a Core Web Vitals consultant. Different words, same job: find what's slowing the site down and fix it properly, on the platform you already have where that's possible.
Not sure speed is the real problem? Start with a Website Health Check. Running WordPress? See WordPress development and support. Want it kept fast after the fixes? That's what website maintenance is for.
Common questions
Does website speed affect SEO?
Yes, but it isn't the biggest factor. Google uses Core Web Vitals in its ranking systems, and a slow site can lose out to a faster one with equally good content. Relevance and content matter more. The bigger cost of a slow site is people leaving before the page loads, especially on phones.
How fast should my website be?
Aim for Google's Core Web Vitals targets on real visits: the main content within 2.5 seconds, a response to a tap or click within 200 milliseconds, and a layout shift score of 0.1 or less, for at least 75% of visits. In Lighthouse, a performance score of 90 or more is rated good. I explain the difference in Core Web Vitals assessment failed?
Can you speed up a WordPress site without a rebuild?
Usually, yes. Slow WordPress sites tend to suffer from oversized images, too many plugins, a heavy theme or page builder, and missing caching, and all of those can be fixed on the site you have. If the theme is the real problem, I'll show you the evidence and the options, including a partial fix, before anyone talks about a rebuild.
Do I need a new host?
Not always. Better caching and fewer scripts often make more difference than a new server. I measure the server response time before suggesting a move. If hosting is the bottleneck, I can move the site to my managed hosting in Australia ($220 a month, website only), or recommend a better plan with your current host.
How long does website speed optimisation take?
It depends on the cause. Image, caching and script fixes are often a few hours of work; trimming a heavy theme or page builder takes longer. I give you an estimate before starting. Lab scores change straight away, but Google's Core Web Vitals report uses 28 days of real visits, so expect up to a month before Search Console shows the improvement.
Will my scores stay up?
Only if what made the site slow doesn't creep back. New plugins, campaign tags and full-size image uploads are the usual reasons. I tell your team what to watch for, and you can re-run PageSpeed Insights yourself at any time. If you'd rather someone kept an eye on it, that's what maintenance hours are for.
How much does website speed optimisation cost?
Most speed work runs on prepaid hours: $725 for 5 hours ($145 an hour), $1,400 for 10 or $2,700 for 20, or $150 an hour pay as you go. If speed is one of several problems, the Website Health Check is $1,500 fixed. Prices are ex GST.
Is your website slower than it should be?
Book a call and send me the URL. I'll run your main pages through the tests before we talk, so the call starts with your numbers. If I'm not the right person, I'll say so.
Book a 20-minute call or send me a message. I answer both myself.