Why speed matters
A 1-second delay in page load time costs you roughly 7% of conversions. If your site does $500K/year, a faster site is worth $35K/year in lost revenue you didn't know you were losing.
Google also ranks faster sites higher. Since Core Web Vitals became a ranking signal in 2021, page speed is one of the easier SEO wins for most sites.
I optimize WordPress and Shopify sites for Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse Performance. Most of my clients go from a 40-60 Performance score to 90+ within 1-2 weeks.
What I optimize
- Image optimization — proper formats (WebP/AVIF), sizing, lazy loading, responsive images
- JavaScript cleanup — defer non-critical scripts, remove unused JS, code splitting
- CSS optimization — minify, remove unused, critical CSS extraction
- Caching setup — page cache, browser cache, object cache, edge cache (Cloudflare)
- CDN configuration — Bunny CDN, Cloudflare, AWS CloudFront depending on stack
- Database optimization — autoloaded options cleanup, revision cleanup, query optimization
- Plugin / app audit — remove what's not pulling weight, replace heavy plugins with lighter alternatives
- Core Web Vitals — LCP, FID/INP, CLS fixes with measurable before/after
How it works
- Free audit. Send me your site URL. I'll run a full Lighthouse + WebPageTest + GTmetrix audit and send you a short PDF with the score breakdown and the fixes I'd prioritize first.
- Quote + scope. Fixed price based on what's broken. Most projects land in two buckets: a 4-8 hour tune-up, or a full rebuild if the site has fundamental architecture problems.
- Fix + verify. I make the changes on a staging copy first. We measure before/after. You see the new Lighthouse scores before anything goes live.
- Ship + monitor. Changes go live. I set up monitoring so you'll know if performance regresses (and we can fix it).
Typical results
Here's what a typical WordPress speed optimization looks like:
- Before: Performance 45, LCP 4.2s, CLS 0.18, page size 3.4MB
- After: Performance 94, LCP 1.4s, CLS 0.02, page size 680KB
- Real-world impact: 22% drop in bounce rate, 11% lift in conversions (measured over 30 days post-launch)
Shopify stores tend to land closer to the 80-90 range because the platform has its own constraints, but the conversion lift is similar.
What it costs
Most page speed projects land between $500 and $2,500. A 4-hour tune-up is closer to $500. A full optimization with caching setup, image pipeline, plugin audit, and CDN config is closer to $2,000-$2,500.
If your site needs a rebuild because the architecture is fundamentally broken (bloated theme + 30 plugins + no caching), I'll quote that separately as a full project.
What I won't do
I won't install a $300/year speed plugin and call it optimized. Most "magic" speed plugins just hide problems — they don't fix them. Real speed comes from doing the boring work: optimizing images, removing unused JS, setting up real caching.
I also won't lie about scores. If your site can realistically land at 85 but not 95, I'll tell you. Lighthouse scores are public and verifiable.
Common questions
Will my design change?
No. Speed fixes don't change what your visitors see — they change how fast it appears. Same pixels, faster load.
How long does it take?
A typical speed optimization takes 4-10 hours of work over 1-2 weeks. Some quick wins (image optimization, defer scripts) can ship in a day. Bigger fixes (CDN setup, plugin replacement) take longer.
Do you work on WooCommerce?
Yes. WooCommerce stores often have more speed issues than regular WordPress because of cart fragments, AJAX, and product images. I optimize for the actual shopping flow, not just the homepage.
What if my site is already fast?
Then the audit will say so. I'd rather tell you "your site is fine, here's what's not worth fixing" than bill you for changes you don't need.