How to get a 100 PageSpeed score (and why it matters for small business)

Google’s PageSpeed Insights (built on its Lighthouse test) scores how fast and well-built a page is, out of 100. A high score doesn’t guarantee rankings on its own, but a fast site keeps visitors from giving up and is one of the signals Google looks at. Here’s what actually moves the score, from building our own new website, which scores 98 to 100 for performance on mobile.

1. Make images small, and load them only when needed

Images are usually the heaviest part of a page. Resize them to the size they’re displayed at, use modern formats like WebP, and lazy-load everything below the first screen so it only downloads when a visitor scrolls to it. On our site, only the first image on a page loads straight away.

2. Host your fonts yourself, and preload the important ones

Loading fonts from another service adds extra connections before your text can appear. Host the font files on your own site and preload the one or two used above the fold, so headings appear quickly and don’t jump around as the page loads.

3. Cut the JavaScript

Page builders, sliders and plugins often load large scripts on every page, whether they’re used or not. Use as little JavaScript as possible, load it only on pages that need it, and defer anything that isn’t essential. Our site doesn’t load jQuery at all, and analytics wait until the page has finished loading.

4. Only send the CSS each page needs

A single huge stylesheet slows every page. Keep shared styles small and load page-specific styles only where they’re used. Small stylesheets can be included directly in the page, saving a request.

5. Use caching and compression on the server

Page caching serves a ready-made copy of each page instead of building it every time, and compression (gzip or Brotli) shrinks what’s sent. On LiteSpeed hosting, the LiteSpeed Cache plugin handles both, along with WebP images.

Don’t forget the other three scores

Lighthouse also scores accessibility, best practices and SEO. These are often quicker wins than performance: alt text on images, enough colour contrast, one clear main heading, descriptive link text and a meta description on every page. Our site scores 100 for accessibility and best practices across every page type.

Why it matters for a small business

Most of your visitors are on a phone, often on mobile data. A slow page loses them before they see your phone number. Speed won’t fix a website that doesn’t explain what you do, but it makes sure the people who find you stay long enough to call.