Learning how to make a website load faster is no longer only a technical housekeeping task. In 2026, speed affects user experience, lead generation, mobile conversion, ad performance and search visibility. For companies targeting China, speed matters even more because blocked resources, overseas hosting, heavy JavaScript and slow DNS can turn a normal website into a broken experience.
This updated Tenba Group guide gives you 13 practical tips to make a website load faster, with extra attention to Chinese users, Baidu SEO and cross-border performance.
Why website speed matters in 2026
Google’s Core Web Vitals focus on three user-experience metrics: Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift. Google recommends an LCP of 2.5 seconds or less, an INP of 200 milliseconds or less and a CLS of 0.1 or less at the 75th percentile of page loads. In plain English, your site should load quickly, respond quickly and stay visually stable.
For China, performance is also an access issue. China had 1.125 billion internet users by the end of December 2025, according to ECNS coverage of CNNIC’s 57th Statistical Report. If your site loads slowly or fails because it depends on blocked Western services, you lose trust before the visitor sees your offer.
1. Measure speed before changing anything
Start with PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, Chrome DevTools, Search Console and real-user monitoring where possible. Do not optimize blindly. Check mobile and desktop separately, review field data when available, and test key templates: homepage, service page, blog post, product page, landing page and contact page.
2. Improve hosting and server response time
Slow hosting creates a slow starting point for every page. If Time to First Byte is weak, image compression will not solve the whole problem. Use quality hosting, server-level caching, updated PHP, a modern database setup and enough resources for traffic spikes. For a China-focused site, compare mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan or Korea hosting depending on ICP requirements and audience location.
3. Use a CDN that matches your audience
A content delivery network can serve static assets from servers closer to users. This is useful for international websites, but China requires extra thought. Some global CDN setups perform poorly inside mainland China. If China is a priority market, test access from mainland networks and consider China-friendly CDN options where legally and operationally possible.
4. Compress and resize images
Images are often the easiest win. Upload the right dimensions instead of forcing the browser to resize huge files. Use modern formats such as WebP where supported, compress JPEGs, avoid unnecessary transparency, and set clear width and height attributes to reduce layout shift. Hero images should look sharp, but not weigh down the first screen.
5. Lazy-load below-the-fold media
Load the first screen quickly, then lazy-load images, videos and embeds that appear lower on the page. Be careful with the main hero image: lazy-loading the largest above-the-fold image can hurt LCP. Use priority loading for the most important visual and lazy loading for supporting media.
6. Reduce JavaScript
Too much JavaScript can delay rendering and hurt responsiveness. Remove unused scripts, delay non-critical scripts, split code where appropriate and avoid loading heavy third-party widgets on every page. WordPress sites often accumulate scripts from themes, builders, analytics tools, chat tools and plugins. Audit them regularly.
7. Optimize CSS and critical rendering
Large CSS files can block rendering. Remove unused CSS, load critical CSS early and defer non-critical styles when possible. Avoid layout systems that shift content after loading. Fonts, banners and cookie notices can all cause visual movement if dimensions are not reserved.
8. Enable browser, page and object caching
Caching lets repeat visitors and servers reuse resources instead of rebuilding everything. Use browser cache headers for static files, page caching for anonymous traffic, object caching for database-heavy sites and CDN cache rules for common assets. Clear caches carefully after design or content updates.
9. Minify and compress files
Minify CSS and JavaScript, enable Brotli or GZIP compression, and remove unnecessary whitespace and comments from production files. Compression will not fix a badly structured site, but it reduces transfer size and helps pages load faster on mobile networks.
10. Limit external requests
Every external request creates another dependency. Analytics, fonts, social embeds, map widgets, advertising pixels, review widgets and video players can slow down a page. For China, some Western services may time out or fail entirely. Replace blocked or slow services with China-accessible alternatives where needed.
11. Keep WordPress lean (If using WordPress)
WordPress can be fast, but only when it is maintained. Remove unused plugins, update themes and plugins, clean database overhead, avoid bloated page-builder modules and test performance after adding new functionality. A plugin that seems small can still load scripts across the whole site.
12. Build a China-accessible version of key pages
If Chinese customers are important, test your website from mainland China and fix what breaks. Avoid Google Fonts, Google Maps, YouTube embeds, blocked social widgets and Western chat tools on China-facing pages. Use compressed images, Chinese-language content, fast hosting and platform links that Chinese users can actually open. Our guide to creating a Chinese website explains this setup in more detail.
13. Monitor after every major change
Speed is not a one-time project. New tracking scripts, images, plugins, ads and design sections can create regressions. Monitor Core Web Vitals, server response time, crawl errors and China access after launches. For search visibility, connect performance work with Baidu SEO, internal linking and content quality.
The takeaway
To make a website load faster, measure first, improve hosting, use the right CDN, optimize images, reduce JavaScript, clean CSS, cache aggressively, limit external requests and monitor continuously. For China, also remove blocked services and test real access from mainland networks.
Tenba Group helps international brands build faster Chinese websites, improve Baidu SEO, localize WordPress, remove blocked resources and create China-ready digital marketing systems. If your website is too slow for Chinese customers or underperforming in search, contact Tenba Group for a practical performance review.
Sources: Google’s Web Vitals documentation, PageSpeed Insights, and ECNS coverage of CNNIC’s 57th Statistical Report on China’s Internet Development.