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WordPress Performance Metrics & Tips

ByJudith Reading Time: 4 minutes
WordPress Website Performance Metrics Info

When I talk to clients about their WordPress website’s performance metrics, it can get confusing fast. Understanding the importance of tracking this data is one thing, but knowing what to do with it and addressing potential issues is an entirely different ball game.

Recently, I wrote “What Are WordPress Performance Metrics, and Why Are They Important?” and received a bunch of additional questions. In this article, I hope to include actionable tips using plugins, theme choices, and hosting-related suggestions commonly relevant to the WordPress ecosystem.

Expected Metrics and How to Improve Them

Performance isn’t just a luxury when running a WordPress site—it’s essential. Google’s Core Web Vitals and related metrics such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), Total Blocking Time (TBT), and others directly impact your SEO rankings, bounce rates, and user satisfaction.

This guide breaks down the key website performance metrics and how WordPress site owners can improve each.

Core Metrics and What They Mean

Core metrics are key performance indicators (KPIs) that provide a snapshot of a business’s overall health and the effectiveness of its strategies.  In this case, we are talking about WordPress website core metrics.

The following core metrics represent the essential data points to measure progress toward achieving primary objectives. These metrics are valuable because they are relevant, actionable, well-defined, and clearly necessary for your website’s success. 

First Contentful Paint (FCP)

  • Target: < 1.8s

Definition: Time until content appears (e.g., logo, menu text).

WordPress Fixes:

  • To delay JavaScript loading, use Hummingbird (I use HB on my sites), LiteSpeed Cache, or WP Rocket.
  • Use a fast-loading theme. I use Kadence for this reason.
  • Eliminate render-blocking CSS via plugin settings.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

  • Target: < 2.5s

Definition: Time until the most significant visible element (like a hero image) loads.

WordPress Fixes:

  • Use Smush (I use Smush on my sites), ShortPixel, or Imagify for image compression.
  • Enable lazy loading (native in WordPress 5.5+ or via plugins).
  • Use a CDN like Cloudflare or BunnyCDN. Cloudflare is my choice.
  • Preload key images with a plugin like Perfmatters or manual tag insertion.

Speed Index

  • Target: < 3.4s

Definition: Measures how quickly content becomes visually complete.

WordPress Fixes:

  • Use themes that prioritize above-the-fold content.
  • Remove unused page builder elements — avoid bloated Elementor or WPBakery sections you don’t need. Better yet, don’t use a page builder.
  • Preload fonts and assets using Asset CleanUp or FlyingPress. (Kadence theme allows for local font hosting and preloading.)

Total Blocking Time (TBT)

  • Target: < 200ms

Definition: Time your site is unresponsive due to long tasks (JavaScript blocking the main thread).

WordPress Fixes:

  • Minimize JavaScript execution with Hummingbird, Flying Scripts, or WP Rocket’s Delay JS feature.
  • Limit third-party scripts (chat widgets, social embeds).
  • Remove unused plugins and avoid bloated plugins (e.g., replace Jetpack with lighter tools).

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

  • Target: < 0.1

Definition: Measures how much page content shifts as it loads.

WordPress Fixes:

  • Always define width and height for images (WordPress does this by default for uploaded media).
  • Avoid inserting ads, iframes, or embeds that push content around without reserved space.
  • Use fonts with font-display: swap, often handled by optimization plugins or custom CSS.

Time to Interactive (TTI)

  • Target: < 3.8s

Definition: Time until the page can reliably respond to user input.

WordPress Fixes:

  • Defer non-critical JavaScript.
  • Remove unused third-party tools (analytics, marketing scripts).
  • Reduce plugin count and avoid poorly coded plugins.

First Input Delay (FID) (Field data only)

  • Target: < 100ms

Definition: The Delay between a user’s interaction and the browser’s response.
Note: Measured in real-world usage (not test lab tools like Lighthouse).

WordPress Fixes:

  • Optimize like TBT: reduce blocking scripts and defer non-essential JS.
Tool/PluginUse
LiteSpeed Cache*All-in-one performance for sites on LiteSpeed servers
WP Rocket*Premium caching and performance suite
Smush / ShortPixelImage compression
FlyingPress*Optimization + script delay
Asset CleanUpRemove unused CSS/JS from specific pages
Perfmatters*Lightweight tweaks for faster load times
Cloudflare CDNFree or paid CDN and security
Query MonitorAdvanced performance debugging

*I use Hummingbird Pro for several of the above tasks. Above all, it allows me to use one plugin instead of several to cover the needed functionality.

Theme & Hosting Considerations

  • Choose a lightweight theme: Avoid heavy builders. I talk about this here.
  • Use modern page builders sparingly: Consider Kadence over Elementor if you need one.
  • Get fast hosting: Invest in performance-optimized WordPress hosts like WPMU, SiteGround, or Kinsta.
  • Reduce plugin bloat: Audit your plugin list—if you use 40+ plugins, it’s time to streamline. I prefer having no more than 25 on my sites, which are all juried for speed.

Visit my toolkit for recommended WordPress products & services.

Quick Optimization Checklist

  • Use caching
  • Optimize and lazy-load images
  • Use a CDN
  • Remove unused CSS and JavaScript
  • Preload fonts
  • Choose a lightweight theme
  • Minimize third-party scripts
  • Audit and reduce plugins

The Need for Speed When Seconds Matter

Improving WordPress website performance starts with understanding what the metrics mean and then implementing focused optimizations. Tools like PageSpeed Insights can show you exactly where your site stands.

Focusing on the Core Web Vitals and fixing key issues with the right plugins and hosting can drastically improve speed, usability, and even SEO. Most importantly, a zippy website keeps visitors happy and on your site longer.

At your service,

*Some of the links on this page are to companies with which I have a professional affiliation.
Read my complete affiliate statement here.

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