Slow sites hurt rankings, conversions, and the patience of the person trying to use them. I diagnose what's actually slowing your WordPress site down, then fix the things that move the needle. Real measurements before and after, written up so you know exactly what changed.
A performance engagement starts with measurement, not assumptions. Most are structured as an audit followed by a fix phase, so you can decide whether to commission the fixes once you've seen the diagnosis. Most projects include:
The audit phase often surfaces things that won't be fixed in the same engagement (server changes, design changes, content changes). The summary calls those out so you know what's left on the table.
Being clear about what's outside the scope is part of giving you a realistic estimate. A performance engagement doesn't include:
Most performance engagements run in two phases: audit, then fix. You can commission the audit alone if you want a diagnosis without committing to the work. The shape looks roughly like this:
A short conversation about what you're seeing (slow page loads, poor Core Web Vitals scores, a Google Search Console warning, a drop in conversions). No estimate yet; the diagnosis comes first.
I run the site through a battery of measurement tools, looking at both lab data (Lighthouse, GTmetrix) and real-world data (Core Web Vitals from Search Console, RUM data if available). I document the current state in detail.
A written summary of what's actually slowing the site down, ranked by impact. Sometimes the answer is one thing (a single bloated plugin, a misconfigured cache); sometimes it's a dozen small things compounding.
Once you've seen the diagnosis, I give you a realistic estimate for the fix work, prioritised by impact-to-effort ratio. You can choose to fix everything, or just the items that move the needle most.
I implement the agreed fixes, then re-run the same measurements to document the improvement. The final summary tells you what changed and what's still on the table.
Most performance engagements run 10–40 hours and 2–4 weeks from kick-off to delivery. The number depends on:
I bill hourly at $55 / hour (GBP / USD / ZAR via the currency switcher), with a time log you can audit at any point. I don't promise specific percentage gains in advance. Real results depend on the starting point. What I can promise is honest measurement before and after, and clear recommendations on what's worth fixing.
Performance work uses a different set of tools to standard development. Common ones:
PageSpeed Insights · GTmetrix · WebPageTest · Lighthouse · Chrome DevTools · Query Monitor · New Relic · Google Search Console · GA4
WP Rocket · LiteSpeed Cache · FlyingPress · W3 Total Cache · Perfmatters · Asset CleanUp · Autoptimize
ShortPixel · Smush · Imagify · EWWW Image Optimizer · native AVIF / WebP delivery
Cloudflare (CDN, APO, Workers, Polish) · BunnyCDN · KeyCDN
WP-CLI for database optimisation · custom query review · plugin audit and consolidation · render-blocking script and font tuning
reviewing host caching layers, PHP versions, server-level settings · recommending host changes where the host is the bottleneck
The full directory of tools I work with sits on the Tools page, where each has its own breakdown.
Four questions that come up specifically about performance work. General FAQs on cost, timeline, and pricing sit on the Services page.
A real performance audit and fix engagement, with the measurements, the fixes, and what mattered most. Detailed write-up in progress.
Notify me when it's ready →A short message about what you're seeing (slow loading, poor scores, a Search Console warning) is enough for me to give you a first response. If you've already run a Lighthouse or GTmetrix report, even better. Share the link.
Custom WordPress builds in Elementor, designed around how your business actually works. I handle the full path from design translation to launch, including the customisation, the ACF fields, and the bits no one tells you about until you're three weeks in.
WooCommerce builds for B2C and B2B clients across the UK, US and Europe. Product catalogues, payment gateways, tax configuration, shipping logic. All set up properly so you're not fighting the platform six months in.
The work that doesn't fit neatly into a template. CRM hookups, payment platforms, booking systems, headless setups, custom plugins, and bespoke functionality. Usually the kind of work that's been sitting in your backlog because no one wanted to touch it.
Updates, backups, security monitoring, and a person who picks up when something breaks. For clients who'd rather get on with their business than learn what a PHP error means.