Divi Page Speed Optimisation: How to Hit 95+ on PageSpeed Insights

"Divi is slow." It's the most common objection we hear — and in 2026, it's mostly outdated. With the launch of Divi 5 in February 2026, the theme has been completely rebuilt from the ground up. JavaScript bundle size dropped from 276 KB to just 45 KB. Server-side processing is 40–80% faster. Pages render in a fraction of the time.

But out of the box, no theme will give you 100/100 on PageSpeed Insights. This guide is the exact playbook we use at Nicada Digital to take fresh Divi installs to 95+ scores on Core Web Vitals — the same techniques we apply on every client project.

Why Page Speed Matters in 2026

Speed isn't a vanity metric. It directly affects:

• Conversions — a 1-second delay reduces conversions by 7% (Google research)
• SEO rankings — Core Web Vitals are a confirmed Google ranking factor
• Bounce rate — 53% of mobile users leave a site that takes over 3 seconds to load
• Ad costs — faster landing pages have lower Google Ads CPC
• User experience — a snappy site simply feels better to use

For UK businesses competing in local search, page speed is one of the easiest wins for ranking. Pair it with our Divi SEO guide for the full picture.

Step 1: Upgrade to Divi 5 (If You Haven't Already)

If you're still on Divi 4, this is the single biggest speed gain available. Divi 5 is a complete rewrite using modern React architecture. Key improvements:

• JavaScript reduced from 276 KB to 45 KB (84% reduction)
• 40–80% less server processing time
• Cleaner HTML output (better for browsers and crawlers)
• Native image optimisation via the modern <picture> element
• Reduced layout shift (better CLS scores)

Elegant Themes provides a one-click upgrade path that preserves all your content. Test on staging first, but the migration is genuinely smooth.

Step 2: Choose Quality Hosting

You can do everything else right, but a slow host will sabotage your scores. Our recommendations:

Host	Best For	Approx Price
Kinsta	Performance-critical sites	£25+/month
WP Engine	Agencies and growing businesses	£20+/month
SiteGround	Small business sites	£5+/month
Cloudways	Tech-savvy developers	£10+/month

Avoid bargain shared hosts (under £3/month) for any site that matters. The savings aren't worth the slow TTFB and frequent downtime.

Step 3: Optimise Images (Biggest Win)

Images cause more PageSpeed failures than any other factor. Our four-step image checklist:

1. Resize before upload. Don't upload a 4000px wide image to display at 1200px. Use Photoshop, Squoosh, or TinyPNG.
2. Serve WebP or AVIF. Use a plugin like ShortPixel, Smush, or Imagify to auto-convert. WebP is 30% smaller than JPG with no visible quality loss.
3. Set proper width and height attributes. Prevents layout shift (CLS). Divi 5 does this automatically; Divi 4 sometimes doesn't.
4. Lazy-load below-the-fold images. Native browser lazy loading is enabled by default in Divi 5.

Step 4: Install a Caching Plugin

Caching saves a pre-built version of your page so it doesn't have to be generated on every request. Our top picks:

• WP Rocket — the easiest premium option. £49/year, takes 5 minutes to set up, works perfectly with Divi.
• LiteSpeed Cache — free, brilliant, requires a LiteSpeed-powered host (most quality hosts now).
• FlyingPress — a strong WP Rocket alternative with a focus on Core Web Vitals.

Whatever you choose, enable: page caching, browser caching, GZIP compression, and database optimisation.

Step 5: Add a CDN

A Content Delivery Network serves your static assets (images, CSS, JavaScript) from servers close to your visitors. Cloudflare's free tier is excellent for most sites:

1. Sign up for Cloudflare and add your domain.
2. Update your nameservers (your domain registrar can help).
3. Enable Auto Minify, Brotli compression, and Rocket Loader.
4. Set caching to "Standard" or "Aggressive."

You'll typically see 10–20 point improvements on PageSpeed mobile scores within 24 hours.

Step 6: Minimise and Defer JavaScript

JavaScript is the biggest enemy of mobile PageSpeed scores. Tactics:

• Defer non-critical JS — WP Rocket has a one-click toggle.
• Delay until interaction — load chat widgets, tracking pixels, and Facebook Pixel only when the user interacts with the page.
• Remove unused plugins. Every plugin adds JS. Audit quarterly.
• Avoid heavy sliders — Divi's built-in slider module is fine, but third-party sliders like Slider Revolution add weight.

Step 7: Optimise Your Database

Over time, your WordPress database fills with revisions, transients, and orphaned data. Clean it up:

• Use WP Rocket's database optimisation, or the free WP-Optimize plugin.
• Limit post revisions in wp-config.php: define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', 5);
• Delete spam comments and unused themes/plugins.
• Run a database cleanup monthly.

Step 8: Audit Your Plugins

Plugin bloat is the silent PageSpeed killer. Use Query Monitor (free) to identify the slowest plugins on your site. Common offenders:

• Heavy security plugins (Wordfence is bloated — consider Solid Security or Cloudflare's WAF)
• Old contact form plugins (use WPForms or Divi's built-in form)
• Cookie consent plugins that block render
• Any plugin loading on every page when it's only needed on one

Step 9: Tune Divi-Specific Settings

Inside Divi → Theme Options → Performance, enable:

• Static CSS File Generation
• Dynamic Module Framework
• Dynamic CSS
• Dynamic JavaScript Libraries
• Critical CSS
• Defer Generic Scripts and Styles

These settings load only the modules you actually use, dramatically cutting page weight.

Step 10: Measure, Don't Guess

Use these tools to test your speed:

• PageSpeed Insights — Google's official tool, focuses on Core Web Vitals
• GTmetrix — great for waterfall analysis
• WebPageTest — the gold standard for technical audits
• Cloudflare Browser Insights — real user metrics from your actual visitors

Test before and after every change. Don't optimise blindly.

Real-World Results

Here's what this checklist achieved on three recent client sites:

Client	Before	After
Cheshire law firm	42 mobile / 78 desktop	96 mobile / 100 desktop
Manchester ecommerce	28 mobile / 65 desktop	89 mobile / 98 desktop
National B2B services	51 mobile / 82 desktop	94 mobile / 100 desktop

None of these sites changed themes — they all stayed on Divi. The improvements came from upgrading to Divi 5 and applying the techniques in this guide.

FAQs

Is Divi slow?

Divi 4 had performance issues. Divi 5 (released February 2026) is dramatically faster — 2–4× quicker page loads, 84% smaller JavaScript bundle. With proper optimisation, Divi sites routinely score 95+ on PageSpeed Insights.

What is the best caching plugin for Divi?

WP Rocket (paid) for ease of use, or LiteSpeed Cache (free) if your host runs LiteSpeed. Both work flawlessly with Divi 5.

Does Cloudflare slow down Divi?

No — the opposite. Cloudflare's CDN, caching, and minification typically improve Divi PageSpeed scores by 10–20 points. The free tier is sufficient for most sites.

How do I lazy-load images in Divi?

Divi 5 lazy-loads images by default using native browser loading="lazy". No plugin required. Above-the-fold images should be excluded so they load immediately.

Can I get a Divi site to 100/100 PageSpeed?

Yes — on desktop, regularly. On mobile it's harder due to network and CPU simulation, but 95+ is achievable for most sites with the techniques in this guide.

Should I switch from Divi to a faster theme?

Almost never. Divi 5 is now competitive with the fastest themes available, and switching themes means rebuilding your entire site. For a comparison, see our Divi vs Elementor, Divi vs Bricks, and Divi vs OceanWP guides.

Conclusion

Divi has shaken off its "slow" reputation in 2026. With Divi 5 and the techniques above, you can build sites that are visually rich, easy to manage, and blazingly fast.

If you'd rather not spend a weekend tuning PageSpeed, we offer Divi performance audits and optimisation as a service — we typically take sites from sub-50 to 90+ in a single engagement.

Start your 30-day risk-free Divi 5 trial here and see the speed difference yourself.