Why is my website running slow?

This article will explain some of the reasons why your website is running slow, and what you can do to speed it up.

No one likes a slow website. Some of the most common reasons for long loading times include:

  • Unnecessarily large images
  • Poorly optimised themes
  • Too much content
  • Having multiple plugins installed
  • Out-of-date themes/plugins

You can also read the following guide for more details on how to improve the performance of your WordPress website.

Alternatively, you can diagnose any troublesome assets or files by using the developer tools built into your web browser. Some files can be obvious like HTML pages and images and others less so. If someone built your site for you, ask them what the file does if it is loading slow.

Here are some instructions on how to access Developer Tools for the most popular browsers available:

Google Chrome

Step 1 of 3

Start by clicking the Menu button in the top-right corner and then select More Tools, followed by Developer tools.

Chrome Developer Tools

 

Step 2 of 3

This will open the Developer Tools panel within your browser. From here, select the Network tab.

Select Network

 

Step 3 of 3

Next, load or reload the page you want to analyse and watch the timeline on the right of the panel to see which area of your page is taking longest to load.

The longer the block in the timeline, the longer it is taking for that section to load.

View stats

 

Firefox

Step 1 of 3

Start by clicking the Menu button in the top-right corner and then select More Tools.

Firefox Tools

 

Step 2 of 3

On the next menu, select Web Developer Tools.

Select Web Developer Tools

 

Step 3 of 3

Next, load or reload the page you want to analyse and watch the timeline on the bottom of the page to see which area of your page is taking longest to load.

The longer the block in the timeline, the longer it is taking for that section to load.

View stats