How to Test Website Speed and Performance (and When to Contact Support) Print

⚡ How to Test Website Speed and Performance (and When to Contact Support)

A fast-loading website improves user experience, boosts SEO rankings, and keeps visitors engaged. TK Internet Marketing recommends checking your website’s speed regularly to ensure it’s performing at its best.

Here’s how to test your website’s performance and what to do if results seem slow.

🧭 Step 1: Use a Reliable Speed Testing Tool

You can test your site’s load time using one or more of these trusted tools:

• Google PageSpeed Insights – Provides mobile and desktop performance scores with detailed recommendations.

• GTmetrix – Measures page speed and provides waterfall analysis for advanced diagnostics.

• Pingdom Tools – Offers simple performance summaries with improvement suggestions.

💡 Always test your site using your main homepage URL and one inner page (like /services or /contact) for the most accurate results.

⚙️ Step 2: Review Key Performance Metrics

Each testing tool will provide several metrics. Focus on these key indicators:

• Page Load Time: Ideal is under 3 seconds.

• Page Size: Keep below 3 MB if possible.

• Requests: Fewer requests = faster load time (aim for under 100).

• Core Web Vitals: Google’s metrics for user experience, including:

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) — should be under 2.5s

  • First Input Delay (FID) — should be under 100ms

  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) — should be under 0.1

📊 Tools like PageSpeed Insights also show color-coded results — aim for green (good) on both mobile and desktop.

🧩 Step 3: Identify Common Causes of Slow Performance

If your site scores low, it may be due to:

• Large images that aren’t optimized

• Too many active plugins

• Outdated WordPress, themes, or plugins

• No caching (server or plugin level)

• External scripts such as ads, fonts, or chat widgets

• Low-quality hosting or outdated PHP version

🧠 Many of these can be resolved during your next site maintenance or SEO optimization session.

🖼️ Step 4: Apply Quick Fixes

Before contacting support, try these quick fixes:

1. Optimize Images using a plugin like Smush or ShortPixel.

2. Enable Caching using LiteSpeed Cache, WP Rocket, or your host’s built-in caching.

3. Deactivate Unused Plugins to reduce resource load.

4. Update Everything: WordPress core, themes, and plugins.

5. Enable a CDN (Content Delivery Network): Use Cloudflare or similar for global speed boosts.

💡 Always back up your site before major performance changes (see “How to Back Up Your WordPress Website Manually”).

🧮 Step 5: Retest After Changes

Run your speed test again after applying optimizations.

• Compare results before and after improvements.

• Check both desktop and mobile performance scores.

• If you still see large delays (5+ seconds), open a support ticket.

🧰 Step 6: When to Contact TK Internet Marketing Support

If your tests show:

• Consistent slow speeds (especially on multiple pages)

• Failing Core Web Vitals scores

• Slowdowns after plugin/theme updates

• Errors like “TTFB too long” or “Server response time”

Then open a ticket through your Client Area:
👉 https://clients.tkinternetmarketing.com/clientarea.php
Choose Website Support, describe your test results, and attach a screenshot or GTmetrix link.

💬 Need Help?

Our team can perform a professional speed audit that includes server optimization, image compression, caching configuration, and Core Web Vitals tuning.
Contact support@tkinternetmarketing.com to request a site performance review.