Cognisus Help Desk: Quick Fixes to Speed Up Your Website
Hello, and welcome to the Cognisus Marketing Solutions blog.
Many of our new customers come to us frustrated that their websites feel slow. They’re losing traffic, leads, and even ad dollars. Sound familiar? While not amongst the most important marketing challenges that new customers bring to us, many load time issues can be solved with simple adjustments that make an immediate difference without needing a full redesign.
If your website has been a little sluggish recently, these 6 quick fixes can help speed things up without heavy technical work.
Compress Image Files
Large image files are one of the most common reasons websites load slowly. Even if your design looks clean, oversized visuals can slow everything down in the background.
Quick Fix: Start by compressing existing images on your site. Stick to modern formats like WebP when possible, and avoid uploading images straight from a camera or design software without resizing.
Minimize Plugins (Especially on WordPress)
Plugins make websites more functional, but too many can slow them down. Some run unnecessary scripts in the background, and others may conflict with one another.
Quick Fix: Audit your plugins and remove any that aren’t required. Focus on quality over quantity—reliable plugins from trusted developers will perform better and offer better long-term support.
Enable Browser Caching
When someone visits your website, their browser downloads and stores certain files so they don’t have to load everything from scratch the next time they visit. This is called browser caching. By enabling caching, you reduce the load time for repeat visitors.
Quick Fix: Use a caching plugin (if you’re on WordPress) or ask your hosting provider to enable caching on the server side. It’s a simple step that improves performance without touching your site design.
Reduce Redirects
A redirect is when one URL automatically sends the visitor to another page. They’re useful during site updates or rebranding, but too many can create unnecessary steps between a user and the content they’re trying to access.
Quick Fix: Clean up old or outdated redirects and avoid redirect chains (when one redirect leads to another). Instead, use a redirect mapping tool to check for inefficiencies, and keep your internal links updated to go directly to the final destination.
Streamline Fonts and Scripts
Fonts may seem small, but custom web fonts, especially if you use several, can slow down load times significantly. Each variation (weight, style) counts as a separate file.
Quick Fix: Limit your site to two or three font weights, and consider system fonts when possible. Similarly, third-party scripts (like analytics tools, social media widgets, or chat boxes) should be reviewed. Remove anything unused or unessential to the user experience.
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A CDN stores copies of your website across multiple locations worldwide. When someone visits your site, they access it from the nearest server, which speeds up delivery. This is particularly helpful if your audience is spread out across different regions.
Quick Fix: Ask your hosting provider if they offer a built-in CDN or connect your site to a service like Cloudflare.
Want to know how fast (or slow) your site really is?
Get a free Cognisus Marketing Solutions online performance report, which provides you with a detailed analysis of your (and your competitors) online presence, revealing key opportunities, competitive gaps, and actionable insights to drive better online performance (Website, Social Media, SEO, Citations, Mobile, etc.). We will walk you through the report in a complimentary one-hour strategy session, answer your questions, and provide expert recommendations tailored to your business goals, at no cost and with no obligation to you.
As well as helping you understand what’s slowing your site down and exactly what to do about it. We will also provide you with additional insights and recommendations about all of your online marketing activities.
Reach out to us today!
In our next blog, we’ll explore how user experience (UX) influences how visitors interact with your website, and why good design is just as much about function as it is about aesthetics.