How To Speed Up A Slow Elementor Website? [9 Proven Tips]

Are you using Elementor page builder for site design? Do you face loading time issues and want to boost your page speed? You have arrived at the right place to fix your site speed concerns. In this post, let’s see how to speed up Elementor website in simple ways so that you can perform better than your competitors.

Google is constantly evolving; the same applies to its policies. Nowadays, ranking a website for targeted keywords (even medium competition) is an uphill task. If you want to rank your website on Google, you must put in considerable effort. For instance, you must consider “User Experience” and SEO.  

In May 2020, Google updated its policy and announced that in the future, the “page experience of users” will impact the site’s ranking. The page experience comprises various elements, with the primary component being the website’s load speed. If the website is slow, there’s a high chance it will not rank high on search engine results.

That’s why I have come up with this topic. Many individuals and business owners use Elementor to design their websites, but they often encounter Elementor loading problems. As I’m also using the fastest page builder for this blog, this article will address questions such as

“Why is my Elementor site so slow?”

“How to optimize Elementor for speed?” 

“How to Implement Elementor Performance Optimization?”

Let me answer these questions!

Disclosure: We get a commission when you buy a product via our affiliate link at no additional cost.

Why Is My Elementor Site Slow? 

Many site owners and web designers use the Elementor plugin while creating a website, which is instrumental in getting eye-catching designs. We can build attractive websites and edit pages quickly and easily without any trouble. 

However, problems may also arise, like the Elementor speed issue, which is the biggest annoyance. The worst aspect of this issue is that many factors can contribute to it, and identifying the exact cause requires a thorough investigation. 

Several issues, including hosting problems, using large images, server errors, and other problems, contribute to the slow website annoyance. Below, you will find the main problems that cause the issue and the effective ways to speed up your Elementor site. 

9 Effective Ways To Speed Up Elementor Site 

Let’s get into the ultimate guide to optimize Elementor speed!

speed-up-elementor

1. Use Cloudways Hosting To Reduce TTFB

The first and most common reason your Elementor website is slow is that you are using a poor hosting service. Remember that choosing a good hosting service can boost the website’s performance by reducing TTFB.

TTFB refers to Time-To-First-Byte, which is the time it takes for your website’s hosting server to load the webpage. If TTFB is poor, your web pages will take longer to load, which Google and other search engines dislike. 

Many hosting servers, such as GoDaddy, Hostinger, WP Engine, and SiteGround, are well-known worldwide, but their service and performance in terms of TTFB are not as good as they advertise. 

That’s why I recommend Cloudways hosting to optimize your site for speed. The service is quite good, as it reduces TTFB, and your site will load with a speed of 400 – 600 milliseconds, not seconds.

I have launched this blog on Cloudways hosting, which helps my site perform better in terms of speed and SEO. Check my site loading time with Cloudways managed hosting.

Before Applying Varnish Cache In Cloudways (TTFB – 152 ms)

cloudways-make-elementor-fast

After Applying Varnish Cache In Cloudways (TTFB – 118 ms)

varnish-cache-speed-elementor

Note – I have suggested you use the Varnish cache for additional speed improvement. Cloudways offers a solid default speed performance. You can see the speed score in the above screenshot. After enabling the Varnish feature, it has shown some improvement.

Pro Tip – Although the Varnish cache offers a load speed boost, I recommend disabling this feature and opting for the Cloudflare Pro plan instead.

Alright! It’s time to examine the TTFB performance of my blog, hosted on the Cloudways DO server. Check the low TTFB score, which helps load faster. I have used the KeyCDN performance test.

Update – Cloudways CDN has recently introduced the Edge Page Cache to lower your site’s TTFB and LCP.

wpglossy-ttfb-performance

I hope you are impressed with our site speed score and would like to purchase the fastest hosting for Elementor. Don’t miss out on this limited-time deal to grab the free cash credits offered by the company for my readers.

2. Buy A Lightweight Theme

Imagine you’re on a website because your friend told you it has valuable content. The website takes too long to load because the theme file is more extensive or is not mobile-friendly, but it works perfectly on the desktop.

Do you think you’ll wait? No! The same goes for your site audience!

According to data, users expect the website to load within a maximum of two seconds; if it doesn’t, they tend to leave. It would be best to consider a permanent solution with a compatible WordPress theme. 

Pick a suitable theme for creating a business site or blog. While searching for a suitable and compatible theme, keep these things in mind: 

  • Select a theme with a smaller file size. 
  • Check whether the theme is mobile-friendly. 
  • Go for a theme fast loading time. 

My Recommended WordPress Themes Are

  1. Elementor Hello Theme – The fastest theme comes with minimal styling, ideal for SEO and user experience.
  2. Astra – The popular lightweight theme with a range of options for maximum customization. Consider using its premium version.
  3. GeneratePress – The lightest theme for building WordPress websites. You can quickly achieve a 100% speed score even if you are a non-coder.

3. Optimize All Images

Another cause of the Elementor Loading Problem is the site’s images. Undoubtedly, images are essential for attracting and engaging the audience in content.

The problem is, images comprise 75% of the weight of a web page, and when you don’t optimize these images, they’ll make your website slow. 

Don’t worry; the solution is easy – you just need to optimize the images. Reduce the image size and compress it using tools like TinyPNG.

Use plugins like Smush Images, or Imagify, to optimize images. Additionally, disable hotlinking to prevent others from embedding your images. 

optimize-images-fast-elementor

For more information, read the Google guidelines about the images.

4. Stop Using Slow Plugins

Undeniably, plugins are essential; they can reduce workload by automating tasks and adding more functionality to the website. Still, there are also some cons that we can’t neglect. Some plugins can slow down website speed and cause various other issues. 

If your website takes a long time to load and you’re thinking, “How can I speed up my Elementor site?”, it’s best to check the performance of the plugins. Go to your WordPress admin panel, select the Plugins and uninstall all plugins that you don’t need. 

Install plugins like Health Check and Troubleshooting or Query Monitor for more ease. These plugins will check the condition of active plugins and notify you if the plugin causes any problems. 

Moreover, make sure to stop using heavy WordPress plugins like

  • JetPack
  • BrokenLinkChecker
  • Contact form 7
  • WordFence
  • W3 Total Cache
  • Yet Another Related Post
  • Social Warfare

Instead, consider using some speed plugins for WordPress that can boost your site’s loading speed.

5. Optimize WordPress Database

Do you know the data of a website can also create problems? For example, we use computers and mobile devices, but we always clean junk files from both. Similarly, the WordPress database also needs optimization. 

The WordPress database consists of all data. If we don’t clean the unnecessary junk files from the database on time, they will slow down the website’s speed. 

There are two simple solutions to this issue. You may easily download a plugin for this or do it manually. Both procedures work fine, but the plugin saves time by optimizing the WordPress database. 

Check out my detailed article on WordPress Database Optimization, which explains the cleaning process using the best plugins and also via PhpMyAdmin. Clean your database at least once a month for better results.

6. Use Less JS & CSS Files 

JSS and CSS files are also why most websites take so much time to load. Often, plugins also increase the quantity of large JS and CSS files. These files can drastically decrease the performance of any website. 

You can minify these files or merge several files into one and reduce the file. Follow any approach between these two, whichever you find feasible, using plugins like Breeze and Autoptimize, or manually. 

autoptimize-file-minification

7. Use CDN Network

Another way to speed up the Elementor website is to use a CDN network. CDN stands for Content Delivery Network, and its importance lies in solving the Elementor website loading problem. 

When someone visits your web asset, they download the data from the server. If the person downloading the data is based in London and the data center is located in the UK, they can access the data easily. However, if the person is from Greenland, they must wait, which is why a CDN network is necessary. 

The CDN network loads the required data that a visitor wants from the nearest data center, rather than from a single database center. Many CDN network providers are available such as StackPath, KeyCDN, Google Cloud CDN, and BunnyCDN.

As I recommend Cloudways cloud hosting, you should utilize its CDN feature, which is associated with Cloudflare. Refer to the step-by-step integration guide for CloudwaysCDN with your WordPress site.

cloudwayscdn-fix-elementor-speed

Not only CloudwaysCDN, but I also recommend using the Cloudflare Pro plan, which costs $20 per month. You should not miss the following premium features like

  • World’s fast DNS resolver
  • 200+ Data centers for quick content delivery
  • Excellent Firewall security with DDoS mitigation
  • Improved page load speed for mobile devices
  • Agro smart routing ($5/mo) for quicker delivery

I’m sure that Cloudflare Pro Plan + Agro subscription will let your pages fly in seconds, which will help you pass the Core Web Vitals assessments.

8. Page Caching Can Help

Page caching can significantly make Elementor faster. Usually, page caching is done by the host, but that’s not the case with you. You have to do it manually because it is a required step. 

A website has two parts, one is coding, and the second is the database. When the audience visits, the server creates HTML code for the visitors and sends it to their browser.

The problem is that the server creates this new HTML code whenever a visitor comes to your website, which takes time. You can solve this problem with plugins that enable page caching.

Plugins like WP Rocket, or other Cache plugins save the HTML code on the user end, which solves the problem of the server creating new HTML code. That’s how page caching plugins speed up a slow Elementor website. 

9. Don’t Use Too Many Widgets & Plugins

The final speed optimization tip for the Elementor site is to avoid using too many widgets. Widgets and extra plugins bulk up our website, which negatively impacts its loading speed, and this is not good for ranking.

In short, instead of creating a web page with lots of widgets, create simple but functional web pages. 

Additional Tips

  • Try to use third-party servers like YouTube, Vimeo, and embed all videos. 
  • Reduce post revisions because, in this way, you’ll create a new copy in the database. 
  • Utilize reputable DNS services in conjunction with reliable hosting. 
  • Upgrade the PHP version of Elementor. 
  • Don’t install more than ten plugins when you take a 1GB plan.

Use Flyingpress To Improve Elementor Loading Time

Have you heard about Flyingpress? It is a top performance optimization plugin for WordPress made to reduce bloat, optimize assets, and improve core web vital scores.

It is the best plugin to optimize Elementor through page caching, image lazy loading, in-built cache, removing unused CSS & Fonts, and database optimization.

Look at the table to understand how FlyingPress can help in fixing a slow Elementor site!

FeatureElementor IssueFlyingPress Solution
Heavy JS & CSSSlows renderingMinify, combine, delay scripts
Large imagesIncreases load timeWebP + lazy loading
Dynamic renderingHigh TTFBFull page caching
External assetsExtra HTTP requestsFont + asset self-hosting
Global audienceHigh latencyCDN integration

Fix Slow Elementor Pages – FAQs

Can I make Elementor faster without purchasing premium plugins?

Yes! Opt for high-class hosting with a CDN feature and implement basic speed optimization strategies for WordPress.

Does Elementor inherently make my site slower than coding from scratch?

Page builders usually increase the DOM size. However, you can deliver fast speed performance through careful optimizations.

Will caching and CDN boost WordPress Site speed with elementor?

Absolutely! Caching servers the static version of the pages, and CDN delivers them from the closest server to your visitors. The combination of both will reduce the Elementor page size.

Wrapping Up The Tips to Fix Slow Elementor Sites

Undeniably, by using Elementor, you can create any website you want, whether a simple blog or a complex eCommerce store.

However, after creating the website, people encounter the Elementor loading problem, which is not ideal according to Google, as it can negatively impact the website’s ranking.

That’s why it’s essential to implement some key steps for WordPress Speed Optimization. Rest assured, you don’t have to worry; you can follow the Elementor website speed tips.

There is no harm in using the Elementor plugin; however, your site should be adequately optimized through other factors I have discussed in this post. If you continue to experience any speed issues, ask in the comments section.

by Anil Agarwal

Anil Agarwal is a full-time blogger and SEO expert with over 20 years of experience in the field. He's one of the well-known bloggers from India who has been featured in major publications like Forbes, HubSpot, Shopify, and Business Insider.

1 thought on “How To Speed Up A Slow Elementor Website? [9 Proven Tips]”

  1. Hi Anil,

    What a great article! I love Elementor, and I have built my website using it. I think your article will help me a lot. I have been facing some issues with the speed of my website, and I think with your help, I will be able to boost its speed. I really appreciate you sharing the reasons behind a slow website and then sharing insights to resolve those issues. I will be trying them out, and I really hope it helps my website’s speed.

    Reply

Leave a Comment