The 12-point website speed checklist we use on every launch

Google and Bing both use page speed as a ranking factor. More importantly, 53% of mobile visitors abandon a page that takes more than 3 seconds to load. Here's the exact checklist we run on every website before it goes live.

1. Compress every image. We save at 82% JPEG quality or convert to WebP. Aim for < 200KB per hero image.
2. Use responsive images. The srcset attribute serves smaller images to smaller screens.
3. Lazy-load below-the-fold images. loading="lazy" is one line, huge win.
4. Minify HTML, CSS and JS. Whitespace matters at scale.
5. Combine CSS files. One request beats six.
6. Defer non-critical JS. defer or async. Never block rendering.
7. Use system fonts when possible. If you must load a webfont, use font-display: swap.
8. Enable gzip or Brotli compression. Your hosting provider probably supports it — just turn it on.
9. Cache aggressively. Static assets should have a 1-year cache header.
10. Use a CDN. Cloudflare's free tier is more than enough for most small sites.
11. Kill unused plugins. Every WordPress plugin adds weight. Audit quarterly.
12. Test on 4G, not fiber. Chrome DevTools has a "Slow 4G" throttle. Use it.

Do all twelve and you'll comfortably score 90+ on PageSpeed Insights — and your visitors will feel the difference.

Not sure where your site stands? Ask us for a free speed audit.