Improve Website Performance Using Your Existing WordPress Tools
If your WordPress website feels slow, your first thought might be to install another optimisation plugin. However, adding more plugins isn’t always the answer. In some cases, you can improve website speed by adjusting your existing settings, optimising images and removing features you no longer need.
I use WordPress to run MattFeastOnline.com, where I publish articles about blogging, SEO and building an online business. My website runs on SiteGround, and I’ve learned that keeping things simple can make website management much easier.
In this guide, I’ll explain how to improve WordPress website speed without installing too many plugins. I’ll cover practical changes you can make, including caching, image optimisation, themes and website maintenance.
1. Test your website speed first
Before changing anything, find out how your website performs. Otherwise, you could spend time adjusting settings that have little effect on the actual problem.
Google PageSpeed Insights is a useful tool for checking website performance. Enter your website address and run a test to receive separate mobile and desktop reports.
Look at the recommendations in the report and identify the biggest issues. You might discover that your images are too large, certain scripts take too long to load or the main content takes too long to appear.
Don’t worry if you don’t understand every technical term. Start with the recommendations you can act on.
It’s also worth testing several pages rather than just your homepage. A blog with SEO posts containing multiple images may perform differently from a simple contact page.
You can use Google PageSpeed Insights to run your tests.
2. Use the optimisation tools you already have
One of the easiest ways to avoid unnecessary plugins is to check what your existing tools can already do.
For example, SiteGround provides WordPress performance features through its Speed Optimizer plugin, commonly referred to as SG Optimizer.
If you’re already using SiteGround, check the options available in your WordPress dashboard before installing another caching or optimisation plugin.
Depending on your hosting plan and configuration, the available features may include caching and other performance improvements.
The important thing is to avoid duplicating the same functionality.
For example, running several plugins that all attempt to manage page caching can create conflicts or make troubleshooting more difficult. You may not need another plugin if your current setup already handles the task.
Review your existing settings carefully, make one change at a time and test your website afterwards.
You don’t need to activate every available option. Choose the settings that suit your website and follow the relevant guidance from your hosting provider.
3. Optimise images before uploading them
Images are an important part of a blog article. They break up long sections of text, make tutorials easier to follow and help readers understand what you’re explaining.
However, large image files can increase page size and slow down loading.
There are several ways to reduce the impact of images on your website.
First, resize images to suitable dimensions before uploading them. If an image will appear in a relatively small space within an article, you probably don’t need to upload an enormous original photograph.
Second, compress images to reduce their file size while keeping acceptable visual quality.
Third, use modern image formats such as WebP or AVIF when appropriate. These formats can reduce file sizes compared with traditional formats, although results vary depending on the image.
I use Optimole as part of my image optimisation setup. If you’re already using an image optimisation service, check what it does before adding another plugin to perform the same task.
Remember that optimisation should not make your pictures look poor. Aim for a sensible balance between image quality and file size.
4. Remove plugins you no longer need
WordPress plugins make it easy to add features without writing code. However, every plugin adds something to maintain, and some can introduce additional scripts, database queries or other processing.
That doesn’t mean a website with lots of plugins is automatically slow. The impact depends on what each plugin does and how well it is built.
Instead of focusing on a particular plugin count, review the purpose of every plugin you have installed.
Open your WordPress dashboard and select Plugins.
Look for tools that you no longer use, features you can manage elsewhere or plugins that duplicate existing functionality.
For example, you might have installed a second image optimisation plugin even though your current service already handles image compression.
Before removing anything, check whether another part of your website relies on it. A plugin might provide an important security feature, contact form or layout element.
Remove unnecessary plugins carefully, one at a time, and check your website afterwards.
The goal is to keep the plugins that provide genuine value while avoiding unnecessary complexity.
5. Keep your WordPress theme simple
Your theme controls the appearance and layout of your website. Some themes include numerous design features, animations, sliders and scripts that you may not need.
A complicated design can make a website harder to maintain and may affect performance, depending on how the theme loads its resources.
You don’t necessarily need to replace your existing theme to improve speed.
Start by looking at the features you’re already using. Are there large sliders that add little value? Do you have animations that aren’t necessary? Are there widgets or design elements that make the page more complicated than it needs to be?
Removing unnecessary features may help simplify the website.
Also, check how your website looks on mobile devices. Visitors should be able to read your articles, use the navigation and access important links without struggling with the layout.
If you’re considering changing your theme, test the alternative on a staging website first. A theme change can affect menus, widgets, layouts and other parts of your website.
6. Reduce unnecessary scripts and external features
Your website may load scripts from analytics services, social media buttons, embedded videos, advertising tools and other external platforms.
Some of these features are useful, but others may add unnecessary work for visitors’ browsers.
Review the external services and widgets you use. If a feature isn’t helping your readers or supporting an important part of your business, consider whether you really need it.
For example, you might be able to replace an embedded video with a simple link or remove a social widget that visitors rarely use.
Be careful when removing analytics, security or other essential services. Understand what a feature does before disabling it.
If PageSpeed Insights identifies a particular script as a problem, investigate that specific issue rather than removing features at random.
Small, targeted changes are usually easier to manage than a complete redesign.
7. Check caching and avoid overlapping tools
Caching can improve WordPress performance by reducing the amount of work required to serve repeated requests.
If you’re using SiteGround, check the caching features available through SG Optimizer and your hosting account.
Make sure your current configuration is working as intended. If you already have suitable caching enabled, you may not need another plugin.
Be particularly careful when combining caching plugins with hosting-level caching. Different systems can sometimes overlap or cause unexpected behaviour.
After changing caching settings, clear the relevant caches and test your website again. If you notice layout problems or outdated content, investigate the configuration before making further changes.
Caching is useful, but it isn’t a substitute for optimising images, reviewing scripts and keeping your website well maintained.
8. Keep WordPress updated and maintain your website
Website speed isn’t just about adding optimisation features. Regular maintenance can also help you avoid problems.
Keep WordPress, your theme and your plugins updated. Updates can include security fixes, bug fixes and performance improvements, although not every update will make your website faster.
Before major updates or significant configuration changes, make sure you have a recent backup.
Remove themes you no longer need, provided you keep any required parent theme and understand your active theme setup.
It’s also worth reviewing your website occasionally to check for broken links, unnecessary redirects and features that no longer serve a purpose.
If you use SiteGround, take advantage of the tools and support available with your account. If your website remains slow despite your own checks, ask support whether they can identify hosting resource or configuration problems.
Don’t automatically upgrade your hosting plan before establishing whether hosting is actually the cause.
9. Measure the results instead of chasing a perfect score
After making changes, test your website again using PageSpeed Insights.
Compare the new report with your original results and look at the specific issues you were trying to improve.
Google uses three Core Web Vitals to help assess real-world user experience:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): 2.5 seconds or less is considered good.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): 200 milliseconds or less is considered good.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): 0.1 or less is considered good.
These are useful targets, but a single laboratory test doesn’t tell you everything about how visitors experience your website. Field data, when available, provides additional information about real-world performance.
You don’t need a perfect score to have a useful website. Concentrate on improvements that make your pages load and respond more smoothly.
Make one change at a time, test again and keep track of the results. This helps you understand which changes genuinely improve your website.
10. Choose hosting that suits your website
Your hosting provider is part of your website’s overall performance. Good configuration and sensible maintenance can help, but hosting resources also matter.
I use SiteGround for MattFeastOnline.com, and its tools form part of my website setup. However, the right hosting choice depends on your needs, budget, website traffic and technical requirements.
Before choosing a plan, compare the features, renewal costs, resource limits, backup arrangements and support options.
If you’re building a WordPress website for blogging or affiliate marketing, start with a plan that suits your current requirements. You can review your options as your website grows.
Final thoughts
Improving WordPress website speed doesn’t have to mean installing another plugin every time you encounter a problem.
Start by testing your website, reviewing your existing caching tools, optimising images and removing unnecessary features. Then investigate your theme, scripts and hosting resources if further improvements are needed.
The best approach is to keep things simple, make changes carefully and measure the results.
For me, running MattFeastOnline.com is part of building a long-term online business. I want my website to provide useful information, work well for visitors and remain manageable as I publish more content.
By concentrating on the features that genuinely matter, you can build a WordPress website that is easier to maintain without filling it with unnecessary plugins.
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Disclaimer: This article provides general information about WordPress SEO and Google indexing. Search engine behaviour and results can change, and no indexing or ranking outcome is guaranteed.