Speed Test Tool
The Speed Test Tool is included with all WordPress.com Business and Commerce plans and is also available for free at wordpress.com/speed-test.
The tool helps you identify issues affecting your site’s Core Web Vitals (CWV), such as load time, interactivity, and visual stability. You’ll get clear recommendations to improve performance and deliver a faster, smoother experience for your visitors.
Improving CWVs not only boosts SEO but also enhances usability, reducing layout shifts and improving responsiveness. If you’re using the free version, you can opt in to weekly email reports that track trends and flag new performance issues. Otherwise, this information will be available in your WordPress.com site dashboard.
Accessing the Speed Test Tool
The free Speed Test Tool lets you check the current performance of any WordPress URL. If you’re on a WordPress.com Business or Commerce plan, you will have access to an integrated version that shows both live and historical performance data for your site.
To run a speed test:
- Log into your WordPress.com account.
- Go to wordpress.com/sites or click the W icon in the top-left corner to open your list of sites.
- Select the site you want to test.
- Click the Performance tab to run the test.
If you see a “Hosting Features” tab instead of Performance, click it and then select “Activate now” to enable hosting features. This is a one-time setup.
The tool will run a series of tests, including Google Lighthouse and Chrome UX Report (CrUX) analysis, which may take up to 30 seconds. Once complete, you’ll get a performance report with scores and tailored recommendations for improving your site’s Core Web Vitals.
By default, the homepage is tested. To test other public pages, click the Page dropdown and choose a different URL. You can also toggle between Mobile and Desktop views to see separate scores and suggestions for each.
Performance score
Your Lighthouse performance score is based on a group of key metrics that reflect how fast and stable your site feels to visitors. Improving these metrics can directly enhance your Core Web Vitals, which are important for both user experience and search rankings.
First Contentful Paint (FCP)
First Contentful Paint measures how quickly the first piece of content, such as text or an image, appears after the page begins loading. This is the first visual sign that the site is responding.
- Target: Less than 1.8 seconds
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Largest Contentful Paint records how long it takes for the biggest piece of visible content, like a large image or heading, to fully appear on the screen. It helps indicate when the page appears to be complete.
- Target: Less than 2.5 seconds
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Cumulative Layout Shift tracks how much the page layout unexpectedly shifts during load. These shifts can disrupt the user experience, especially if someone tries to click or tap something like a button that moves.
- Target: 0.1 or lower
Time to First Byte (TTFB)
Time to First Byte measures how quickly the server begins responding to a browser request. This helps determine if your hosting environment is slowing down your site.
- Target: Around 800 milliseconds or less
Total Blocking Time (TBT)
Total Blocking Time measures how long the page is blocked from responding to user input during load. This usually happens when the browser is busy running JavaScript.
- Target: Less than 200 milliseconds
Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
Interaction to Next Paint captures how long it takes for your site to respond visually after a user interacts with it, such as clicking or tapping. This helps evaluate how responsive your site feels in real use.
- Target: Less than 200 milliseconds
Recommendations
Each audit provides AI-powered recommendations tailored to your site’s specific setup. The AI analyzes factors like installed plugins, Lighthouse results, hosting environment, and CDN configuration to generate personalized suggestions.
These recommendations include detailed, actionable steps to help you improve your Core Web Vitals (CWV). Fixing these issues can directly boost your performance scores. To view your recommendations, open your report and scroll to the “Personalized Recommendations” section, or click the “View all recommendations” link at the top of the report.
When reviewing the recommendations, you can use the dropdown in the top-right corner to filter by specific metrics.
Last updated: June 18, 2025