Slow WordPress site? I fix the cause, not the score.
Core Web Vitals, load time and the things that actually make a page feel slow. Fixed price, measured before and after, with the numbers shown to you either way.
You’ll be working with me, Saddam.
Not an agency, not a project manager, not a junior who picked up your ticket. I read your message, I quote it, I build it, and I’m the one who answers when something breaks.
What actually makes WordPress sites slow
Nine causes cover almost everything, and the biggest one is usually not what the owner thinks. It is rarely “too many plugins.”
Server response time
Before a single image or font loads, your server has to build the page and send the first byte. If that takes a second, you lost a second before anything appeared. You want it under 0.8s. On cheap hosting it is often over one. This is where I look first, every time.
Caching that is installed but not working
People install a caching plugin, see it activated, and assume it works. Meanwhile the host’s own cache layer is off and the two never connect. Checking this takes thirty seconds and it is the single most common miss I find.
Font bloat
Page builders ship with default fonts, and when you pick your own, the defaults often stay loaded. Four or five families, every weight from 100 to 900 plus italics, from a third-party server, blocking paint. Most sites need two typefaces and three weights.
A stylesheet for every widget
A clean site loads eight or ten stylesheets. A page-builder site routinely loads 25 to 30, one per widget, one per animation, one per template. Each is a separate round trip.
The wrong element prioritized
Lazy loading is good. Lazy loading your hero image is bad, because the browser deliberately waits before fetching the one thing the visitor is looking at. I see priority set on a thumbnail halfway down the page more often than you would expect.
Old JavaScript before content
jQuery Migrate is a compatibility shim for code written over a decade ago. It still loads by default on plenty of sites, in the head, blocking rendering, for no reason. Same with icon libraries loading three stylesheets for four social icons.
The full list, and how to tell which one is yours: Why is my WordPress site so slow? 9 real causes.
Elementor sites specifically
Most of my speed work is on Elementor sites. Elementor is not slow by nature. It is slow by default, which is a different problem and a fixable one. The font sprawl, the per-widget stylesheet chain and the unused icon libraries are all things you can clean up without rebuilding the site or switching away from the builder you already know.
How I work
Baseline
PageSpeed on your key pages, Core Web Vitals field data, server response time. Screenshot and saved before anything changes.
One change at a time
Server and caching, then fonts, then render-blocking CSS and JavaScript, then the LCP element, then cleanup. Measuring after each step, so we know what worked.
Staging for the risky parts
Anything that could break a layout goes on a staging copy first. If something breaks and cannot be fixed in fifteen minutes, I roll it back. A broken contact form costs you more than four PageSpeed points earn.
Before and after, in writing
A final comparison and a summary of what was changed and why, so your next developer is not guessing.
What it costs
- Full technical audit
- Core Web Vitals fixes, measured
- Up to 10 priority fixes on your site
- Written report
- 5 to 7 day delivery
- 30 days of free bug fixes
50% upfront, 50% on delivery. No subscription.
Start Your SprintIf your site needs more than the Sprint covers, you get the exact number in writing before I start. Sometimes the honest answer is that your hosting is the problem, and moving is the real fix. You will hear that too, even though it is less work for me.
What to send me to start:
- Your site URL
- Your hosting provider and plan name
- WordPress admin login (temporary account is fine)
- Which pages matter most to you
Everything else is on the pricing page.
Ask about a bigger jobWhat I will not promise
I will not promise a 100 PageSpeed score. Chasing 100 usually means delaying JavaScript until the visitor interacts, which produces a beautiful number and a site that feels broken for a fraction of a second on every real visit. Your visitors do not see your score. They see whether the page appeared. I optimize for the second one, and I will tell you when a change would improve the score while making the actual experience worse.
What you get
- Measured before and after, screenshots included
- One change at a time, so we know what worked
- Risky changes tested on staging first
- An honest word if your hosting is the real problem
What I will not do
- Promise a 100 PageSpeed score
- Delay JavaScript until the site feels broken
- Sell you a rebuild disguised as an optimization
- Chase a number your visitors never see
Questions people ask
How fast should a WordPress site load?
Aim for your main content to appear within 2.5 seconds on a normal mobile connection, which is Google’s threshold for a passing Largest Contentful Paint. Under 2 seconds is comfortable. Over 4 and people leave before they see anything.
Will deleting plugins make my site faster?
Sometimes, but it is rarely the biggest win. Plugin count is not the issue. A plugin costs you speed when it loads files on pages where it is not needed, or runs heavy queries. Two or three specific plugins usually cause the problem, not the total number.
Does site speed actually affect my Google ranking?
It is a real ranking factor but a modest one directly. The larger effect is indirect: slow sites lose visitors before the page loads, which costs conversions. Most articles on this overstate the direct effect.
Can you fix my Elementor site without rebuilding it?
Almost always, yes. The common Elementor performance problems are font sprawl, a long stylesheet chain and unused icon libraries, and all of those are fixable in place. Anyone telling you the fix is rebuilding in a different builder is selling you a rebuild.
What if it breaks something?
Risky changes go on a staging copy first, and there is a full backup before anything else. If a change breaks something that cannot be fixed quickly, I roll it back. The remaining improvements still work without it.
Do you guarantee a specific PageSpeed score?
No, and be wary of anyone who does. Scores depend on your hosting, your content and what the test happens to measure that day. What I guarantee is measured before and after numbers, and an honest account of what did and did not improve.
Amazing work! Everything was done perfectly and exactly as requested. Communication was smooth, fast delivery, and great attention to detail. I’m really happy with the result and would definitely recommend.
This is my second order and this time I was again pleased with Saddam’s work! He is very attentive and the communication is very good. I will certainly hire Saddam again for my next project!
Great professional, I hope to work with him more often. He delivers quickly and is attentive and concerned with the smallest details.
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