Speed testing tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights are useful, but their scores need a little context.
Why mobile scores are lower
The mobile test deliberately imitates a mid-range phone on a slow mobile connection. A slower processor takes much longer to run JavaScript, so a site that scores well on desktop can score much lower on mobile even when the hosting is fast.
Testing fairly
- Test while logged out of WordPress, or in a private window. Pages you view while logged in are never cached.
- Run each test twice. The first visit after a change may build a fresh copy of the page; the second is served from the cache.
- Look at Time to First Byte (TTFB), the time before the first data arrives from the server. A high TTFB on a cached page is worth telling us about; a good TTFB with a poor overall score points to the page itself.
What makes the biggest difference
Most of a score comes from the website rather than the server:
- Fewer plugins. Every active plugin adds work each time WordPress builds a page. Delete the ones you don't use.
- Less JavaScript. Sliders, page builders, chat widgets and tracking scripts all add JavaScript, and PageSpeed marks down scripts a page loads but doesn't use.
- Right-sized images. Upload images close to the size they're shown at, not straight from a camera or phone.
- A lightweight theme. Heavy multipurpose themes load a lot of code on every page.
- Updates. Newer versions of plugins and themes are often faster.
Please don't add a caching plugin to chase a higher score: your site already has built-in caching and a CDN, and a second cache causes conflicts. If your pages are slow even when you're logged out, contact support and we'll take a look.