WordPress Speed & Core Web Vitals Optimization

Page speed directly impacts user experience, conversion rates, and search rankings. Many WordPress sites suffer from performance issues: bloated themes, inefficient plugins, unoptimized images, and poor caching configurations that result in slow load times and failing Core Web Vitals scores. Stoneberg Design specializes in WordPress performance optimization that delivers measurable improvements to site speed and user experience.

Our performance optimization starts with comprehensive auditing. We analyze WordPress sites using Chrome DevTools, Lighthouse, WebPageTest, and real-user monitoring to identify specific bottlenecks. We measure Core Web Vitals (Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, and Cumulative Layout Shift) and benchmark against Google's thresholds. This analysis reveals whether issues stem from hosting, theme code, plugins, images, or database performance.

Optimization addresses root causes systematically. We implement multi-layered caching strategies including object caching with Redis or Memcached, page caching with smart invalidation, and CDN integration for global content delivery. Asset optimization includes JavaScript and CSS minification and combination, critical CSS extraction, font optimization, and lazy loading for images and videos. We optimize WordPress database queries, clean up database bloat, and configure proper indexes.

For enterprise WordPress sites handling significant traffic, we've helped clients achieve sub-2-second load times and passing Core Web Vitals scores across all metrics. Our optimizations for Tableau and other enterprise clients delivered 40-60% improvements in page load times while maintaining full functionality. Performance optimization isn't one-time work; we establish monitoring that tracks performance over time, implement budgets for asset sizes, and provide guidelines that help teams maintain performance as sites evolve.