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A site is slow when the server has to rebuild the page on every visit (database + PHP + plugins), when CSS/JS block first paint, and when images aren't sized. WordPress does all three by default. Caching helps a little. A static site on a CDN - HTML already built, served from the edge - is the durable fix. Scan your URL free to see which issue is costing you the most.
The three reasons a site feels slow
Almost every slow site is some mix of:
- Time to first byte. PHP hits MySQL, plugins run, then HTML starts. 400-900ms TTFB is normal on WordPress. Static on Cloudflare is ~30ms.
- Render-blocking CSS and JS. The browser waits. Elementor, Divi, and “optimization” plugins often make this worse.
- Heavy images with no srcset. Phones download desktop files. Largest Contentful Paint tanks.
Cache plugins treat the symptom. They don't remove the database round-trip or the plugin tax. Read why WordPress is so slow.
What Google actually scores
Google uses Core Web Vitals on mobile: LCP (load), INP (taps), CLS (layout jump). A pretty desktop score and a 45 on mobile is a ranking problem. If your Lighthouse Performance is stuck in the 40s - 70s no matter how many speed plugins you install, the stack is the ceiling.
The fix that sticks
Pre-build the HTML. Serve it from a CDN. Delete WordPress so nothing is left to patch or slow down. That's what WordPress → static is. Wordpress Escape does it done-for-you: same URLs, schema ported, forms rewired, SEO preserved. 528,854 pages in 5 days is the proof.
Drop your URL in the free audit. You'll get SEO / Performance / Responsive grades plus the issues we'd fix. No login.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my website so slow all of a sudden?
Usually a new plugin, a page builder update, unoptimized images, or a host that's swapping. If it's been slow for months, it's the WordPress architecture - PHP + database + plugins - not a one-off glitch.
Will a faster host fix a slow WordPress site?
A better host can shave TTFB. It cannot remove 20 plugins of JavaScript or rebuild every page from MySQL. Static HTML on the edge beats a faster PHP box.
How do I make my site fast without rebuilding it myself?
Scan it, then migrate off WordPress to Hugo. Wordpress Escape preserves URLs and rankings and hosts on Cloudflare. Typical result: PageSpeed in the 90s, TTFB ~30ms.
See why YOUR site is slow - 60 seconds
The free 60-second audit on Wordpress Escape shows your real PageSpeed, Core Web Vitals, SEO gaps, and page count - then a done-for-you Hugo migration deletes WordPress, keeps every URL, and hosts on Cloudflare's edge.
Scan my site free