Plugin Reduction & Template-Level CWV Optimization for Content-Heavy WordPress Site

The Challenge

Project Overview

Try Something More is a content-rich WordPress site with hundreds of pages and blog posts. The sheer volume of content and plugins created performance bottlenecks that needed a systematic approach to resolve.

With hundreds of pages, each using different templates, plugins, and media, the site had inconsistent performance. Some pages loaded quickly while others were extremely slow. The client needed a blanket improvement that covered every page type.

This is the kind of result our WordPress speed optimization service delivers. See how we approach every WordPress engagement.

The Goals

Goals & Objectives

The primary goal of this project was to improve Google's Core Web Vitals, site speed, and overall user experience and usability.

Our primary goals were to:

• Reduce mobile LCP below 4s
• Eliminate Total Blocking Time on mobile
• Reduce desktop TBT significantly

The Solution

Our Approach

A systematic, step-by-step process tailored to Try Something More's needs.

1. 1

   Full Site Audit

   Audited every major page template to identify common performance issues.

2. 2

   Theme Optimization

   Streamlined theme code and removed render-blocking resources.

3. 3

   Plugin Rationalization

   Reduced plugin overhead by replacing heavy plugins and optimizing load order.

4. 4

   Media Optimization

   Implemented lazy loading and next-gen image formats across all content.

5. 5

   CWV Tuning

   Fine-tuned LCP, CLS, and INP across all major templates.

The Results

Outcomes

Core metrics that improved over the duration of the project.

• 71% Mobile LCP Reduction. Mobile LCP dropped from 13.5s to 3.9s.
• 100% Mobile TBT Eliminated. Mobile TBT reduced from 230ms to 0ms.
• 96% Desktop TBT Reduction. Desktop TBT dropped from 780ms to 30ms.

Lessons

Key Takeaways

• Content-heavy sites need template-level optimization alongside global fixes.
• Plugin rationalization often delivers bigger gains than code-level tweaks.
• Systematic auditing ensures no page type is left behind.