WooCommerce doesn't have to be slow
A slow store costs you customers. We find the cause, whether it's in the server, the database, the cache or the code, and fix it in WordPress and WooCommerce.
Server and caching
Your store is only as fast as the server allows
- Server setupPHP version, OPcache and the number of PHP processes tuned to your traffic.
- CacheA page cache for pages that are the same for everyone, and an object cache (e.g. Redis) for data that has to be fully up to date, like the cart and stock.
- CDNImages and other static files are served from servers close to the customer, so your own server has less to do.
Database
The heart of your store
- CleanupOld revisions, expired transients, sessions and spam that make every query heavier over time.
- Queries and indexesWe find the slow queries and give the tables the indexes they're missing.
- Order dataWooCommerce's own order tables (HPOS) and fewer settings loaded on every page view.
Code and plugins
We look into the code that runs your store
- Code analysisWe profile the PHP code and find the functions, loops and hooks where the time goes.
- PluginsWe measure each plugin's impact and fix, replace or remove the ones that cost the most.
- Images, CSS and JavaScriptSmaller images in modern formats, and only the scripts and stylesheets the page actually uses.
Operations and monitoring
So the speed lasts once you have it
- MonitoringResponse times and slow queries are measured continuously with tools like Query Monitor and New Relic.
- Background jobsStock updates, order processing and scheduled tasks that mustn't slow the store down.
- UpdatesTested in a separate environment before they go live, so an update doesn't take the speed, or the site, down with it.
Why speed matters
According to Google, 53% of mobile visitors leave a page that takes more than 3 seconds to load (Google, 2016).
Fewer sales
Customers leave before the page has finished loading, and patience is lowest at checkout.
Lower rankings
Google measures how fast your site loads and uses it when ranking pages.
The busy days
Black Friday brings the most visitors at once, and that's when a slow setup gives out.
Time spent in the admin
A slow store is slow for you too: products, orders and stock take longer to manage.
How we work
We measure before we promise, and we measure again afterwards.
A no-obligation meeting
We listen to your needs and go through the speed problems you're seeing.
Analysis
We measure the server, database, code and front end and find the exact causes. The measurement is also the baseline we compare against afterwards.
A clear plan
You get a plan that puts the improvements with the biggest impact first.
Optimization and a new measurement
We fix the causes and show you the difference, measured the same way as before.
Questions about speed optimization
What is caching, and how does it make my store faster?
A cache is temporary memory. Instead of building the same page or the same data again on every visit, the server stores a finished version and serves it directly. In WooCommerce, that means pages, products and categories can be shown without asking the database every time.
What's the difference between a page cache and an object cache?
A page cache stores complete, finished HTML pages and suits pages that are the same for everyone, like categories and information pages. An object cache stores individual pieces of data, such as product information and prices, in memory (RAM). It helps most on the cart, checkout and account pages, which can't be cached as a whole.
Why does my store get slower as orders pile up?
Older WooCommerce setups store orders in the same tables as posts and pages. As orders grow, those tables get bigger and slower to search. We move orders to WooCommerce's own order tables, clean up, and cache what can be cached.
Do plugins always make my store slower?
No. Quality matters more than quantity. A well-written plugin that solves a specific need costs almost nothing. The problem is plugins that overlap or do heavy work on every page view. We measure each plugin's impact before we recommend anything.
How do product images affect speed?
Images are often the largest part of a product page. We compress them without visible quality loss, serve them in modern formats and at the size the screen needs, and let images further down the page wait until the customer scrolls.
My store is slow for customers abroad. What can we do?
Your server is probably in one country, so data has to travel further to customers elsewhere. A CDN serves the static files from servers close to the customer, and a good page cache makes the rest of the response fast.
Why does the speed vary during the day?
When many people visit the store at once, the server needs more processing power and memory. On shared hosting, other sites on the same server can also take resources from yours. We size the server and the cache for your busiest hours, not the average.
How do I know if the database needs optimizing?
Typical signs are slow product pages, a sluggish admin, searches that take time, and slow order processing. An analysis of the database shows exactly where optimization has the biggest effect.
Read more about speed
We measure before we promise. See our object cache benchmark, for example. Speed lasts best with a fixed maintenance plan.
How WordPress works: architecture and performance
We follow a request through the server, PHP, hooks, the database and the cache, and show where the time goes.
HTTP/3: what does it mean for your store’s speed?
How HTTP/3 works, when it helps, and how to check for it and turn it on.
Let's make your store faster
Let's talk about how we can make your store faster and more efficient.