Matera DigitalLast updated: July 2026 · By Bradley Matera
What is website speed optimization? Making your website load faster and respond more quickly to user interactions. I improve Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS), optimize images, reduce JavaScript, and eliminate render-blocking resources. $65/hour or flat-rate project pricing. Faster sites rank better and convert more visitors.
Largest Contentful Paint measures how fast your main content appears. I optimize images, fonts, and server response to hit the green range.
Interaction to Next Paint measures how fast your page responds to clicks. I reduce JavaScript execution time and defer non-critical scripts.
Cumulative Layout Shift measures visual stability. I reserve space for images, ads, and embeds so content does not jump as the page loads.
These are the most common speed issues I fix. If your site feels slow, it probably has one or more of these problems.
I test your site with Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, and real-device testing on a throttled mobile connection. You get a report showing exactly what is slow and why.
I fix the issues in priority order — biggest impact first. Images get compressed and served in WebP/AVIF. JavaScript gets deferred or removed. Fonts get preloaded or self-hosted.
I re-test on the same throttled connection and show you before-and-after numbers. Core Web Vitals are checked against real field data, not just lab scores.
Convert to AVIF/WebP, compress without quality loss, set intrinsic dimensions, lazy-load below-the-fold images, and serve responsive sizes.
Remove unused scripts, defer non-critical JavaScript, eliminate render-blocking, and reduce bundle size. For WordPress, audit and remove unnecessary plugins.
Inline critical CSS, defer non-critical styles, remove unused selectors, and minify the final output.
Self-host fonts, preload critical font files, use font-display swap, and subset to only the characters your site uses.
Configure CDN caching, set proper Cache-Control headers, enable compression (Brotli or Gzip), and optimize server response times.
Reserve space for images, videos, ads, and embeds using aspect-ratio CSS. Eliminate content shifts that hurt CLS and frustrate users.
Three ways to speed up your site — from a standalone audit to a complete optimization.
| Feature | Audit only — $197 | Audit + fixes — $65/hr | Full optimization — $497+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Web Vitals audit | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LCP optimization | — | Yes | Yes |
| CLS fixes | — | Yes | Yes |
| INP optimization | — | Yes | Yes |
| Image optimization | — | Yes | Yes |
| CSS/JS minification | — | Yes | Yes |
| Lazy loading | — | Yes | Yes |
| Font optimization | — | Yes | Yes |
| Before/after report | Audit report only | Yes | Yes |
I charge $65/hour for targeted fixes, or a flat project rate for full optimization. Most small business sites need 3-6 hours of work to get Core Web Vitals into the green range. I will give you a clear scope and cost estimate before starting.
Core Web Vitals are Google's three key speed metrics: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) measures how fast the main content loads — target 2.5 seconds or less. INP (Interaction to Next Paint) measures how fast the page responds to clicks — target 200 milliseconds or less. CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) measures visual stability — target 0.1 or less. Google uses these as ranking signals.
Speed is a confirmed ranking factor, but it is one of many. If your site is very slow, fixing it can produce a noticeable improvement. If your site is already reasonably fast, the ranking impact may be small. The bigger benefit is usually user experience — faster sites convert better and have lower bounce rates.
Yes. I optimize WordPress sites by reducing plugin bloat, implementing caching, lazy-loading images, deferring non-critical scripts, and optimizing the database. For some sites, migrating from WordPress to a static site like Gatsby produces the biggest speed improvement. I will tell you honestly which approach makes sense.
Call (608) 313-5373 or send a message through the contact page. Tell me your website URL and I will run a free initial speed check and tell you what I can improve.
By Bradley Matera — web developer in Durand, Illinois, serving Northwest Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. About · Contact · Pricing
Last updated: July 2026. Prices and services subject to change — see terms of service.