Services
Website Speed Optimization Services
Akif Wani optimises slow WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, and Next.js sites against the three Core Web Vitals — Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint, and Cumulative Layout Shift. Speed optimisation starts at ${PRICES.speedAddonAmount} as an add-on to a build, or is quoted separately for existing sites after an audit. Work targets measured field data, not a synthetic score.
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What's included
Performance audit against real metrics
A diagnosis of what is actually slow, measured against Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint, and Cumulative Layout Shift on mobile. You get the causes, ranked by impact, before any work is quoted.
Image delivery pipeline
Images are usually the single largest cause of a slow page. Serving modern formats at correct breakpoint sizes, with explicit dimensions to prevent layout shift and lazy loading for anything below the fold, typically produces the biggest single improvement.
JavaScript and CSS reduction
Render-blocking scripts deferred, unused CSS removed, and third-party scripts audited. On WordPress this usually means removing plugins loading assets on every page for a feature used on one; on Shopify it usually means apps.
Caching and server configuration
Page caching, object caching, and browser cache headers configured correctly, plus CDN setup where it helps. Frequently the difference between a fast site and a slow one is configuration rather than code.
Font loading
Fonts served locally with correct preloading and swap behaviour, so text is readable immediately instead of after a webfont downloads from a third-party host.
Layout shift elimination
Explicit dimensions on images and embeds, reserved space for anything loading late, and font metrics matched to prevent reflow — the fixes that stop content jumping while a page loads.
Who this is for
- Sites failing Core Web Vitals in Google Search Console
- WooCommerce and Shopify stores losing customers on slow product pages
- WordPress sites that have accumulated plugins over years and slowed steadily
- Businesses whose mobile experience is materially worse than desktop
- Anyone told their site is slow but not told what to actually do about it
When this isn't the right fit
If your site is slow because it is on the cheapest possible shared hosting, optimisation will help less than moving hosts, and you will be told that rather than sold work that cannot fix the root cause. Sites built on heavily bloated multi-purpose themes sometimes hit a ceiling where a rebuild is more economical than continued optimisation — that answer is given honestly when it applies.
Process & timeline
- Step 1
Audit and diagnosis
1–3 daysMeasurement against real Core Web Vitals on mobile, identifying causes ranked by impact. You get a written summary of what is slow and why before committing to any work.
- Step 2
Quote against findings
1 dayA fixed quote for the fixes that will actually move the numbers, with anything not worth doing stated as such.
- Step 3
Implementation
3 days–2 weeks depending on findingsFixes applied on a staging copy where possible, in impact order, so improvement is measurable rather than a single undifferentiated change.
- Step 4
Re-measurement
1 dayThe same metrics measured again after work, so you can see exactly what changed rather than taking it on trust.
- Step 5
Handover
1 dayDocumentation of what was changed and what to avoid re-introducing — most sites slow down again because someone installs the plugin that was just removed.
Tools & pricing
Tech stack
- Core Web Vitals
- Lighthouse
- PageSpeed Insights
- WebP and AVIF image formats
- CDN configuration
- Object and page caching
- Critical CSS
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
- Shopify
- Next.js
Speed optimisation add-on
+$250
Core Web Vitals work included as part of a new build on any platform.
Existing site optimisation
Quoted after audit
Work on a site not built here is quoted against audit findings, because the causes vary enormously and a fixed price before diagnosis would be guesswork.
Performance audit only
Quoted per site
A written diagnosis with causes ranked by impact, if you want to understand the problem before committing to fixes or want to hand the findings to your own developer.
Optimisation of an existing site is deliberately quoted after audit rather than before. Two sites with identical symptoms can have completely different causes, and quoting blind would mean either overcharging you or discovering the work is larger than agreed.
Website Speed Optimization case studies
Speed Optimization
Website Speed Optimization FAQs
How fast should my website load?
Target Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5 seconds, Interaction to Next Paint under 200 milliseconds, and Cumulative Layout Shift under 0.1, measured on mobile. These are Google's Core Web Vitals thresholds and the ones that affect search ranking. Measure on mobile with a throttled connection rather than on desktop broadband, which flatters almost every site.
Why is my WordPress site slow?
In most cases it is unoptimised images, too many plugins loading assets on every page, a bloated multi-purpose theme, and missing caching — usually all four together. Cheap shared hosting compounds it. The fix order matters: image delivery and caching typically produce the biggest gains for the least work, so those come first.
How much does speed optimisation cost?
Speed optimisation is $250 as an add-on to a new build. For an existing site not built here, it is quoted after an audit, because two sites with identical symptoms can have entirely different causes. The audit gives you a written diagnosis with causes ranked by impact before you commit to any fixes.
Will a caching plugin fix my slow site?
Partially. Caching helps significantly with repeat server response time, but it does nothing about oversized images, render-blocking JavaScript, or layout shift — which are usually the larger problems. A caching plugin is one component of the fix, not the fix. Sites that install one and see little change are almost always image-bound or script-bound.
Does site speed actually affect Google rankings?
Yes. Core Web Vitals are a confirmed Google ranking signal, though a smaller one than relevance and content quality. The larger commercial effect is usually behavioural: slow pages lose visitors before they see anything, which hurts conversions directly and feeds back into ranking through engagement. Speed rarely wins a ranking alone, but it loses customers reliably.
Can you speed up a Shopify store?
Yes, though the constraints differ. On Shopify the hosting is fixed, so optimisation focuses on theme assets, image delivery, and app scripts. Apps are usually the dominant cause — each one injects JavaScript on every page load, and a store running a dozen apps carries a dozen extra scripts. Auditing which apps earn their place is often the highest-impact change available.
What is Cumulative Layout Shift and why does it matter?
Cumulative Layout Shift measures how much content jumps around while a page loads — the reason you tap the wrong button because something loaded above it. It is caused by images and embeds without explicit dimensions, late-loading fonts, and injected banners. It matters because it is both a ranking signal and one of the most directly infuriating experiences a site can deliver.
Need website speed optimization?
Describe what you need and you will get a fixed written quote covering price, timeline, and deliverables. Scoping usually takes 24–48 hours.
Or email info@akifwani.com