The Real Reasons Your Pages Take Forever to Load
If you have ever clicked onto your own website and thought, why is my website so slow, you are definitely not alone. What looks fine at first glance can feel painfully sluggish once real people start using it, especially on mobile.
Website speed issues rarely come from one single cause. They are usually the result of heavy images, cheap hosting, and missing optimisation tools working together behind the scenes.
Why Is My Website So Slow Even Though It Looks Good?
A website can be visually beautiful and still perform badly. Design does not equal speed. One of the most common reasons people ask why is my website so slow is because the heaviest elements, especially images, are doing far more work than they should be.
Images account for a large portion of a page’s loading time, particularly when they are uploaded without preparation.
Images Are Usually the Main Performance Problem
If you are wondering why is my website so slow, oversized images are almost always near the top of the list.
Images uploaded directly from phones, cameras, stock sites, or Canva are often several megabytes in size. While your website may automatically resize them visually, the browser still has to download the full file.
Before uploading images, they should always be:
• Resized to the largest size they will actually display
• Compressed to reduce file weight
• Saved specifically for web use
A good target is keeping images under 1MB, and often much smaller is possible without any visible quality loss.
The Best Image Format for Faster Load Times
Another common reason people ask why is my website so slow is because of using the wrong image formats.
For most websites, JPG is the best choice when transparency is not required.
JPG images:
• Load faster
• Compress far more efficiently
• Are ideal for photos and banners
PNG files should only be used when you genuinely need transparency, such as for logos or simple graphics. Using PNG unnecessarily can significantly slow your pages.
Cheap Hosting Can Make a Fast Website Feel Slow
Even with perfectly optimised images, cheap hosting can still cause performance issues. Many low cost hosting plans place hundreds of websites on the same server, all competing for limited resources.
If you are asking why is my website so slow despite optimising images, your hosting may be the bottleneck.
Poor hosting can lead to:
• Slower server response times
• Delays during traffic spikes
• Inconsistent performance
Good hosting provides the foundation that allows all other optimisation efforts to actually work.
Image Optimisation Plugins Help Maintain Speed
For WordPress websites, image optimisation plugins are essential. These plugins help ensure images remain optimised even if old habits creep back in.
Image optimisation plugins can:
• Compress images on upload
• Optimise existing images in your library
• Reduce unnecessary file bloat
Popular options include Smush, ShortPixel, and Imagify.
They do not replace good habits, but they significantly reduce the risk of slowdowns over time.
Caching Is Critical for Website Speed
Another major reason people wonder why is my website so slow is a lack of caching.
Caching stores static versions of your pages so your website does not need to be rebuilt for every visitor. Without caching, every page load requires fresh processing, which costs time.
A proper caching setup can:
• Improve page speed dramatically
• Reduce server load
• Improve mobile performance
Well known caching plugins include WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, and W3 Total Cache.
Why Website Speed Really Matters
A slow website affects more than patience.
Speed directly impacts:
• Bounce rates
• Conversions and enquiries
• User trust
• Search engine rankings
When someone asks why is my website so slow, what they are often noticing first is a drop in engagement.
So…
If you are still asking why is my website so slow, the answer is rarely mysterious. It is usually a combination of unoptimised images, poor hosting, lack of image optimisation tools, and missing caching.
The upside is that all of these problems can be fixed.
Want Your Website Checked and Speeded Up?
If your website feels heavier than it should, I can help. I offer website audits that assess images, hosting, plugins, caching, and overall performance, then provide clear recommendations or hands on improvements.
A fast website feels effortless to use and quietly works harder for your business.
Get in touch to book a website speed audit and turn “why is my website so slow” into a problem you no longer have.