Website Speed and Core Web Vitals Optimization
We do the engineering work that makes sites fast: fixing what delays the largest content, what blocks interaction and what makes layouts jump. The goal is passing Core Web Vitals for real visitors, not just a better lab score for one day.
Speed & Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals measure three things your visitors feel. Largest Contentful Paint is how long the main content takes to appear. Interaction to Next Paint, which replaced First Input Delay in March 2024, is how quickly the page responds when someone taps or clicks. Cumulative Layout Shift is how much the page jumps around while loading. Sites usually fail because of a handful of causes: render-blocking CSS and JavaScript, oversized images, web fonts loaded late, heavy themes and plugins, slow server response and third-party scripts competing for the main thread.
We find the actual bottleneck for each template before changing anything. Lab tools like Lighthouse and WebPageTest show what is happening during load, and field data from the Chrome UX Report shows what real visitors experience. Then we fix things at the source: critical CSS and deferred scripts, responsive images served as AVIF or WebP with correct dimensions, the LCP image preloaded and prioritized, fonts self-hosted with proper display settings, page and object caching on the server, a CDN for static assets, a cleaned database and long JavaScript tasks broken up so interactions respond quickly. Where a plugin or theme feature costs more than it is worth, we tell you and suggest a lighter alternative.
Results we can point to include an agency-built site taken from 42 to 100 on PageSpeed on both mobile and desktop without changing the design, when the target was 80, and a site where 30 pages moved out of the red in the Search Console Core Web Vitals report. Speed work was also part of growing an education publisher's site past 1 million monthly pageviews. This page covers the implementation side. If you want speed handled as part of an SEO and Search Console plan, see our Core Web Vitals SEO service.
What You Get
Bottleneck diagnosis
Template-by-template analysis using Lighthouse, WebPageTest and Chrome UX Report field data, so we fix the causes that matter for your real visitors.
LCP fixes
Faster server response, the main image or heading prioritized and preloaded, render-blocking CSS and JavaScript removed from the critical path.
INP fixes
Long JavaScript tasks reduced, heavy third-party scripts delayed or removed, and event handlers simplified so taps and clicks respond quickly.
CLS fixes
Width and height set on images and embeds, space reserved for ads and banners, and font loading tuned so text does not shift as fonts arrive.
Images, fonts and assets
Images converted to AVIF or WebP at the right sizes, fonts self-hosted and subset, unused CSS and scripts removed per page.
Caching, CDN and database
Page and object caching configured for your server, a CDN set up for static files, and old revisions, transients and autoloaded options cleaned up.
Our Process
Measure
We record lab and field metrics for your key templates, identify the main causes and agree a target, scope and fixed price.
Fix on staging
Optimizations are made on a staging copy with a backup in place, and each change is measured so we know what helped.
Test visually and functionally
We check every template, form, checkout and interactive element still works and looks the same after optimization.
Deploy and validate
Changes go live, we confirm the lab results on production and track field data as it updates over the following weeks.
Deliverables
- A before-and-after report with lab scores and Core Web Vitals per template
- Implemented optimizations on your live site
- Configured caching, CDN and image optimization settings
- A list of plugins or scripts removed or replaced, with the reason for each
- Guidance for your team on keeping new content fast
- A follow-up check once field data has had time to update
Tools & Platforms
We pick tools for your project, not the other way round. If you already use a platform, we work inside it.
Related Results
Growing an education publisher past a million pageviews
Speed and SEO work took a speech-language education publisher past one million pageviews and doubled traffic on a niche sister site. Two ecommerce sites were then merged into one domain.
PageSpeed from 42 to 100 without a redesign
An agency-built site scored 42 on mobile and desktop. Cleaning up code, images, fonts and caching took it to 100 on both, without changing the design. The target was 80.
Keeping a WordPress estate green, month after month
Ongoing INP, LCP and CLS work moved 30 pages out of the red in Search Console and keeps PageSpeed, GTmetrix and Search Console reports green through theme and plugin changes.
Speed & Core Web Vitals: Questions Answered
Why do PageSpeed scores change every time I test?
Lab tests run on simulated devices and networks, so results vary between runs and locations. Field data in Search Console and the Chrome UX Report reflects real visitors over the previous 28 days, which is what counts for Core Web Vitals. We use lab tools to find problems and field data to confirm they are fixed.
What affects the cost of speed optimization?
The number of distinct templates, the theme and page builder involved, how many plugins and third-party scripts load on each page, the hosting setup and whether you are open to replacing heavy plugins. A small brochure site is quick. A large store with many scripts and a builder takes more work. We quote a fixed price after measuring.
Will the design or features change?
Our default is to keep the design exactly as it is. If a specific feature, such as an autoplay video slider or a heavy chat widget, is the main cause of a failing score, we explain the trade-off and let you decide whether to keep, delay or replace it.
How long until Search Console shows the improvement?
Lab scores change as soon as the fixes are live. Search Console uses a rolling 28-day window of real user data, so it usually takes several weeks for the report to fully reflect the changes. You can start validation in Search Console once the fixes are live.
Often Paired With
Core Web Vitals for SEO
Speed and stability metrics brought to passing in real user data, starting with the templates that earn search traffic.
Explore Core Web Vitals for SEOHosting Setup & Optimization
Server, caching and CDN set up properly on the host you already pay for, or a move to a better one.
Explore Hosting Setup & OptimizationTechnical SEO Audit
Crawl, index, speed and structure issues found and ranked by impact, in plain English.
Explore Technical SEO AuditLet's Talk About Speed & Core Web Vitals
Send a short brief and get a fixed scope, timeline and price, plus an honest view of what is worth doing first.
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