Updated 14-Sep-2023
Google PageSpeed and web vitals are clear: a relevant site must load fast and not messily. The should be a speedy first contentful paint (FCP), and there should be little cumulative layout shift (CLS). A better user experience means a better search engine optimization.
What follows is a step-by-step appraisal of how to systematically improve PageSpeed and especially Core Web Vitals, with WordPress as a Content Management System.
Web Technology Stack Optimization
In order to achieve this aspect of technical SEO, the web technology stack must be researched and set right. In many cases SEO agencies don't want to or can't perform this work due to technological silos. The lack of desire is because it is not profitable to rebuild sites, and can be politically fraught. Companies may have just spent money on a recent design or the those responsible for the website do not report to marketing, which is in charge of SEO and/or PPC. In addition, it is hard to get good design right and to satisfy both clients and customers. There are several components involved:
- Web hosting/servers + DNS
- Web content management system (usually WordPress)
- Web analytics (GA/GTM/GSC)
- Website theme
- Design and layout
- Graphics and branding
- Web content
- On-page SEO
Mobile First
Mobile first crawling and mobile first PageSpeed (it is only mobile that matters).
Web Host
An unreliable or slow host harms the user experience and PageSpeed
Web Analytics
GTM and GA do slow down a site, but this information is required
Optimizing WordPress
Plugins and Themes are the biggest source of problems in WordPress, followed by unoptimized images.
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