My website is slow and keeps going down: how to find the cause and fix it
⏱ In about 7 minutes
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In this article
The short answer
Short answer
Test your site for free with Google's PageSpeed Insights, then fix the usual culprits in this order: oversized images, too many plugins, and no caching. If your site is still slow or keeps going offline after that, the problem is usually cheap, overcrowded hosting, and moving to managed hosting such as Kinsta or Cloudways is the fix.
Don't move hosts first. Many slow sites get much faster with a few hours of clean-up.
Why it matters
- Google measures it. Google's Core Web Vitals say that "to provide a good user experience, LCP [loading] should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading," with interactivity (INP) of "200 milliseconds or less" and layout shift (CLS) of 0.1 or less. (web.dev)
- Search Console tracks it for you. You can "monitor your site's Core Web Vitals on mobile and desktop with Search Console reports." (Google Search Console)
- Customers leave. A page that takes ages to load on a phone is a lost enquiry. A site that's down is a closed shop.
Fix it: step by step
Step 1: Measure first (10 minutes)
Run your homepage and your most important service page through PageSpeed Insights. Note the mobile scores and the top recommendations. Check the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console if you have it set up.
Step 2: Shrink your images (30–60 minutes)
Photos straight from a phone or camera are often several megabytes each. Resize them to the size they actually display at and compress them before uploading. Most website builders and WordPress image plugins can do this automatically.
Step 3: Clear out plugins and add-ons (30 minutes)
Deactivate and delete anything you don't use: old sliders, page builders you abandoned, duplicate SEO plugins. Fewer plugins also means fewer security updates. See how to secure your website.
Step 4: Turn on caching (20 minutes)
Caching serves a saved copy of your pages instead of rebuilding them on every visit. Many managed hosts include it; on WordPress, a caching plugin can help. Test your site afterwards.
Step 5: Re-test (10 minutes)
Run PageSpeed Insights again. If scores improved a lot, you may be done.
Step 6: Look at your hosting (15 minutes)
Signs your hosting is the problem:
- The site is slow even after Steps 2–5.
- It goes down regularly, or slows to a crawl at busy times.
- Support takes days to reply or blames your site every time.
Step 7: If you move, use this migration checklist (1–3 hours, spread over a week)
[ ] Take a full backup of files and database before anything else
[ ] Check whether the new host offers free migration (many do)
[ ] Note your domain, DNS and email settings (don't break your email!)
[ ] Test the site on the new host using a temporary URL
[ ] Switch DNS during a quiet time
[ ] Re-test speed and check forms, checkout and contact pages work
[ ] Keep the old hosting for a few weeks before cancelling
If your business email runs through your old host, plan that move separately. See why business emails go to spam for the DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) you must not lose.
Quick pick
Quick pick: managed hosting, if your hosting is the bottleneck (product details from official vendor pages, checked 18 Oct 2026. Not hands-on tested or speed-tested. No ratings. Prices in US$, excluding taxes; confirm on the vendor's site.)
Hands-off managed WordPress: Kinsta. Single-site plan from US$30/month (first month listed free at the time of checking), daily automatic backups with 14-day retention, CDN and edge caching, a managed firewall with DDoS protection, free malware removal, unlimited free migrations, 24/7 human support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. → See our websites and SEO guide
More control at a lower entry price: Cloudways. Managed cloud servers from US$14/month (1GB server), free migration, free SSL, a server-level firewall, automated backups, staging, and a 3-day free trial without a credit card. Some features, such as malware protection, are paid add-ons. → See our websites and SEO guide
Compare them in our managed WordPress hosting guide.
What we'd avoid: honest limits
Free: the Small Business Password & Access Checklist
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Frequently asked questions
What's a good PageSpeed score?
Focus on the Core Web Vitals: loading (LCP) within 2.5 seconds, INP of 200 milliseconds or less, and CLS of 0.1 or less, per web.dev.
Why is my site fast on my computer but slow for customers?
Your browser may have cached it, and you may have fast internet. Test on a phone using mobile data, and use PageSpeed Insights.
Will a faster site improve my Google ranking?
Don't expect speed alone to lift your rankings. Google reports Core Web Vitals in Search Console, and its guidance puts helpful, people-first content first. A faster site mainly helps visitors stay and contact you.
What does "managed hosting" actually include?
Usually updates, backups, security and caching handled for you. See our managed hosting guide.
Related guides
- Websites, hosting & SEO: our hub
- I need a proper website but have no time to manage it
- My website got hacked / is it secure?
- My emails land in spam
Sources
Official sources first. All links checked and loading on 18 Oct 2026.
- Google: Web Vitals (web.dev) · PageSpeed Insights · Search Console
- Vendor pages (checked 18 Oct 2026): Kinsta pricing · Cloudways pricing
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