How do I make my website faster?

Speed work is most effective when it starts from real-user data. PageSpeed Insights shows field data for a URL and for your whole site where Chrome has enough visits, and Search Console groups similar pages, so one fix to a template can improve hundreds of pages. The fixes that most often make a difference:

• Images: serve modern formats such as WebP or AVIF, size them for the screen, lazy-load images below the fold and preload the main image.
• JavaScript: remove unused scripts, defer what isn't needed for the first view and break up long tasks that slow interactions.
• Third-party tags: audit analytics, chat, testing and ad scripts, since each adds weight and delay.
• Server: use caching, a CDN and hosting with fast response times, and check slow database queries on dynamic sites.
• Layout stability: set dimensions for images, embeds and ad slots, and don't insert banners above content after the page loads.
• Fonts: load only the weights you use, host them yourself where possible and avoid invisible text while they load.

On WordPress and Shopify, plugins, apps and heavy themes are the usual culprits. Removing what you don't use often beats adding another optimisation plugin.

Re-measure after each change, since lab scores and real-user data can move differently.