Performance
The fastest code is the code that never loads.
Most slow websites aren’t short of speed tricks. They’re carrying things they don’t need. We build on a lightweight WordPress framework of our own, so we decide what goes into a website, and what stays out.
How websites put on weight
Nobody builds a slow website on purpose.
It happens one sensible decision at a time. Drag through the years and watch what a typical page ends up carrying.
- Your content and imagesThe part visitors came for 600 KB
- Multipurpose themeStyles and scripts for 40 demo layouts 900 KB
- Page builderIts own layer of layout code 650 KB
- Slider pluginFor one carousel on the homepage 210 KB
- Extra font familiesThree families, nine weights 380 KB
- Chat widgetLoads on every page 540 KB
- Tracking tagsAdded by different people over time 420 KB
- Animation libraryFor a few fades 160 KB
- A speed pluginTo fix the above, with scripts of its own 90 KB
Adding another plugin rarely fixes too many plugins.
Compress it, cache it, delay it, combine it.
Useful, and we do it too. But the browser still has to deal with everything the website was built with, and each tool is one more thing to configure, update and keep from clashing.
Don’t load it in the first place.
Our framework starts almost empty. Each website gets the layouts, styles and features it actually uses, written for it, with nothing switched on just in case.
- Faster on phonesLess to download over mobile connections, so pages appear sooner.
- Fewer dependenciesFewer plugins to update, fewer things to break after an update.
- Easier to maintainCode written for the site is easier to read, change and extend.
- Room to growNew features start from a clean base instead of on top of old layers.
Measured, not promised
Our own website, on the framework.
A Google PageSpeed Insights test of designwebstudio.ie on 1 October 2026, redrawn in our own words.
Scores out of 100 for performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO. A single test in one environment: results vary with device, connection, page content and testing conditions, and aren’t a guarantee for every website.
Your turn
See what your website is carrying.
Speed is one constraint. It isn’t the whole website.
A fast page still needs a clear message, good design, useful content and an easy way to get in touch. Performance gives all of that a better foundation to stand on.
Find out what your website could leave behind.
Get a free action planPerformance
The fastest code is the code that never loads.
Most slow websites aren’t short of speed tricks. They’re carrying things they don’t need. We build on a lightweight WordPress framework of our own, so we decide what goes into a website, and what stays out.
How websites put on weight
Nobody builds a slow website on purpose.
It happens one sensible decision at a time. Drag through the years and watch what a typical page ends up carrying.
- {{ l.t }}{{ l.d }} {{ l.kb }}
Measured, not promised
Our own website, on the framework.
A Google PageSpeed Insights test of designwebstudio.ie on 1 October 2026, redrawn in our own words.
Scores out of 100 for performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO. A single test in one environment: results vary with device, connection, page content and testing conditions, and aren’t a guarantee for every website.
Your turn