How to Fix Core Web Vitals and Speed Up a Slow WordPress Site
Slow loading times and poor visual stability kill conversion rates. When Google shifted to Core Web Vitals (CWV) as a ranking factor, optimization became a technical necessity. This guide details the exact production-tested workflow I use to optimize client websites, taking them from failing grades to green scores. Phase 1: Establish the Baseline Before changing a single line of code, measure your current performance. Do not rely solely on your local Lighthouse scores; they use your fast development machine and network. Use PageSpeed Insights (PSI) to capture both real-world Field Data (Chrome User Experience Report) and synthetic Lab Data. Performance Target Metrics Metric Metric Name Poor (Before) Good (Target After) TTFB Time to First Byte > 1.0s < 0.2s LCP Largest Contentful Paint > 4.0s < 2.5s CLS Cumulative Layout Shift > 0.25 < 0.10 INP Interaction to Next Paint > 500ms < 200ms Phase 2: Step-by-Step Optimization ...