How To Improve Site Speed For SEO

When it comes to SEO, site speed is one of the most overlooked, but most impactful, ranking factors. A slow website not only frustrates users but also signals to search engines that your site isn’t delivering the best possible experience. 

In this guide, we’re breaking down exactly how to improve your site speed for better SEO results, from optimising images and streamlining your code to using the best tools in the game. 

Whether you’re managing your own site or working with a CMS like WordPress, these tips are actionable, effective, and essential for anyone serious about improving their digital presence.

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How to Improve Site Speed for SEO

Here are 8 of our top methods for improving your site speed for SEO, along with some key tips for ensuring a smooth optimisation process for each.

Optimise images

Images are often one of the biggest culprits for slowing down a website. Thankfully, with a few adjustments, they can be optimised without compromising quality:

• Compress images before uploading using free tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim. These reduce file size without noticeably affecting quality.
• Choose the right format for each image:
  • JPEG for photographs and complex images
  • PNG for transparency
  • WebP for a good balance between quality and compression

Implement lazy loading

Instead of loading everything on a page all at once, lazy loading delays the loading of certain elements (like images, videos, or scripts) until the moment they’re about to be seen or used, when they enter the user’s viewport upon scrolling. This can greatly speed up the initial page load, reducing initial data usage, providing better performance on mobile devices, and improving SEO.

You can implement lazy loading to optimise:

• Image optimisation, the most common use of lazy loading, which is especially helpful for long articles, galleries, or product pages that include lots of potentially large image files.
• YouTube embeds, maps, or any iframe content can be lazy-loaded to prevent them from slowing down initial load time.
• Content blocks, components or entire sections like FAQs, comments, or product reviews can be lazy-loaded in SPAs (Single Page Applications) using JavaScript or front-end frameworks.
• Background images (via JS/CSS) can’t use lazy-loading specifically, but you can use intersection observers to swap in a background image when it scrolls into view.
• Hero images: Do not load hero images as these will likely be your LCP element.

Optimise server response time

A faster server means a faster website. If your server is slow, no amount of front-end optimisation will fully solve the issue. Here are a few tips:

• Improve Time to First Byte (TTFB) by upgrading your hosting if necessary. Shared hosting can be slow; consider a VPS or cloud hosting solution for better performance.
• Use a reliable hosting provider with proven speed and uptime.
• Consider a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare or StackPath:
  • Distributes your site’s static assets across multiple servers worldwide
  • Reduces the physical distance between the user and the server
  • Helps deliver content faster to international visitors

Remove unnecessary plugins

If you use a CMS like WordPress, plugins are handy, but too many can severely affect site speed. To improve site speed, you should:

• Audit your plugins regularly and remove any that are:
  • Not being used
  • Overlapping in functionality
  • Outdated or poorly coded
• Try to keep only essential and performance-optimised plugins.

Make sure your site is mobile friendly

With mobile-first indexing, Google primarily uses the mobile version of your content for indexing and ranking. So ensuring a mobile-optimised site is essential. Here’s how:

• Use responsive design to ensure your website adjusts well to different screen sizes.
• Avoid large elements or scripts that slow down load times on mobile networks.
• Use tools like Google’s Page Speed Insights to spot any mobile issues.

Google Page Speed Insight’s Mobile Insights

Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML

Minification removes unnecessary characters (like whitespace and comments) from code files, making them smaller and faster to load. You can use tools such as:

• CSSNano for CSS
• UglifyJS for JavaScript
• If you’re using WordPress, plugins like Autoptimize and WP Rocket can handle this automatically.

Enable browser caching

Browser caching allows returning visitors to load your site more quickly by storing parts of your site locally in the user’s browser. To do this, you can set expiration dates for static resources like Images, CSS and JavaScript files. This reduces the number of requests made to your server on repeat visits, improving overall load time.

Keep an eye on your fonts

Fonts can significantly impact your site’s performance and overall user experience. Using multiple font families or weights increases HTTP requests and can delay rendering. Research shows that keeping typography simple not only ensures design consistency but also enhances load times. For best results, it’s ideal to use just one primary font family.

• Limit font variations: Stick to one main font family to reduce file size and HTTP requests.
• Optimise loading: Utilise tools to prevent delays in text rendering.
• System fonts as fallback: Consider system fonts for quicker load times and a smoother user experience.

Enable GZIP compression

Compression drastically reduces the file size of your website’s code and assets, speeding up transfer times between server and browser. To do this, enable GZIP compression via your server settings or through your CMS. This can reduce file sizes by up to 90%, improving page load speed, especially for text-heavy sites.

Reduce redirects

Redirects can add additional HTTP requests and delay page rendering. While sometimes necessary, they should be used sparingly. To optimise redirects for site speed, you can:

• Minimise redirect chains (e.g., page A → page B → page C).
• Optimise mobile redirects to ensure users land on the correct page quickly.
• Avoid using redirects as a patch for poor URL structures or content updates.

Best SEO Tools for Improving Site Speed

Tool	Key Features	Best For
Google PageSpeed Insights	Free tool from GoogleAnalyses site performanceOffers actionable speed recommendations	Beginners and general performance checks
Screaming Frog SEO Spider	Crawls websites to identify SEO issuesAnalyses site structure and on-page elements	Technical SEO and Content audits
Google Lighthouse	Generates detailed performance reportsOffers speed and UX improvement suggestions	Developers and web performance analysis
GTmetrix	Offers detailed speed analysisRecommends improvementsPaid plans for advanced features	In-depth page speed analysis and monitoring
Pingdom	Monitors site performance over timeDetailed breakdown of load times	Continuous speed monitoring
WebPageTest	Advanced testing featuresTest from multiple devices and global locations	Developers and advanced testing needs
KeyCDN Website Speed Test	Tests speed from multiple global locationsVisual waterfall charts of loading process	Quick visual insights and global testing

Why Site Speed Matters For SEO

Site speed is a key ranking factor for Google. Having a fast-loading website won’t only improve your ranking performance, it will also provide a better user experience, lower bounce rates and increased engagement. Having a site that loads quickly will keep users on your site and could improve leads or sales for your business. 

Simply put, if your site isn’t fast loading and easy to navigate, users will find a website that is!

Closing Thoughts

Optimising your site speed is more than just a technical task. It’s a strategic move that can improve your visibility in search engines, increase user engagement, and ultimately drive better results for your business. 

The truth is, a fast, well-structured site sets the foundation for every other SEO effort to thrive.

If all this feels a little overwhelming or you’d rather leave it to the technical pros, Dandy’s SEO packages are designed to take the stress off your plate. We don’t just optimise for speed—we look at your entire SEO ecosystem to make sure everything is running smoothly, efficiently, and with purpose. From audits and fixes to ongoing performance monitoring, we’ve got you covered.

👉 Grab a free SEO audit today and get your site working smarter, not harder.

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