Is your WordPress site running slower than you’d like? Benchmarking your website can help you identify performance bottlenecks, optimise speed, and improve user experience. The best part? You can do it yourself using free tools – no expensive audits required.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to benchmark your WordPress site step by step, including pro tips, tools, and performance best practices we use at Red Jet.
Why Benchmark Your WordPress Site?
Before diving into the how, here’s why you should care about benchmarking:
🔍 Identify performance issues – Discover what’s slowing your site down
📈 Measure before & after results – Track progress after optimisation
🚀 Boost SEO rankings – Google rewards faster-loading sites
👥 Improve user experience – A fast site keeps visitors engaged and reduces bounce rates
Want an expert to run a full audit for you? Request a free WordPress site audit
Tools You’ll Need (All Free)
Here are some trusted, free tools you can use to benchmark your WordPress site:
- Google PageSpeed Insights – Measures mobile and desktop speed + Core Web Vitals
- GTmetrix – Detailed waterfall analysis and performance suggestions
- Pingdom Tools – Fast, user-friendly test with global location options
- WebPageTest – Advanced metrics like TTFB and visual loading
- Lighthouse (via Chrome DevTools) – Built-in browser audit covering performance, accessibility, and SEO
We recommend testing with at least two tools and taking an average for the most accurate benchmarking.
Step-by-Step: How to Benchmark Your WordPress Site
1. Run Initial Speed Tests
Start by testing your current performance:
- Use PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and Pingdom
- Test both your homepage and a key internal page (e.g. product or blog page)
- Test on mobile and desktop separately
Key metrics to watch:
- Load Time – Aim for under 2 seconds
- Performance Score – Target 90+ on PageSpeed
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Should be under 2.5s
- Total Page Size & Requests – Keep it lean
2. Check Server Response Time (TTFB)
Time to First Byte is a key indicator of server-side performance.
✅ Use WebPageTest or Pingdom
✅ Anything over 600ms TTFB needs attention
Ways to reduce TTFB:
- Switch to faster hosting
- Use a caching plugin (we recommend WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache)
- Optimise your MySQL database with plugins like WP-Optimize
3. Analyse Render-Blocking Resources
Tools like PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix will show you if CSS or JavaScript is blocking page rendering.
How to fix it:
- Minify CSS and JavaScript
- Combine smaller scripts
- Use defer and async attributes where appropriate
- Consider disabling unused scripts with Asset CleanUp or similar
4. Test in Different Conditions
Google now prioritises mobile-first indexing, so don’t just focus on desktop scores.
- Test on mobile devices
- Use WebPageTest to emulate different geographic locations (NZ, UK, USA etc.)
If your audience is in New Zealand or Australia, speed tests from Sydney or Singapore are most relevant.
5. Monitor Database & Plugin Performance
Bloated plugins or inefficient database queries can silently degrade your performance.
🔎 Use Query Monitor to check:
- Slow queries
- REST API delays
- Plugins adding excess overhead
Tips:
- Delete unused plugins and themes
- Replace heavy plugins with leaner alternatives
- Optimise your WordPress database regularly
If you’re unsure which plugins are slowing your site, request a free performance audit.
6. Compare Before & After
After you’ve implemented changes (caching, image optimisation, server upgrades, etc.):
- Re-run the same tests
- Compare metrics side-by-side
- Document the gains and continue iterating
A 500ms improvement in load time can significantly increase engagement and conversions.
Bonus: Quick WordPress Optimisation Checklist
Use this to improve your score after benchmarking:
✅ Enable caching – WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, or use our built-in cache at Red Jet
✅ Compress and serve images in WebP – Try ShortPixel or TinyPNG
✅ Use a reliable CDN – We recommend BunnyCDN or Cloudflare
✅ Minify and combine CSS/JS – Autoptimize or WP Rocket
✅ Choose a fast, lightweight theme – Astra, Blocksy, or GeneratePress (our favourite)
Final Thoughts
Benchmarking your WordPress site doesn’t require a developer – just a methodical approach and the right tools. By testing regularly, you’ll catch slowdowns early, improve your Google rankings, and create a faster, more enjoyable experience for your visitors.
If you’re not sure where to start or you want expert guidance tailored to your hosting environment – request your free WordPress site audit today. It’s no-obligation and takes just a minute to request.
🚀 Ready to Go Faster?
👉 Compare our WordPress hosting plans
