How to Make Your Webflow Site Faster: Step-by-Step Guide for Founders and Webflow Experts

Why Site Speed Matters

A slow website can drive visitors away before they even see what you offer.

A fast website means:

• More people stay and explore
• Higher chances of turning visitors into customers
• Better rankings on Google

Here’s how you can make your Webflow site faster, step by step-no jargon, just practical advice.

1. Remove Unnecessary Add-Ons (Third-Party Scripts)

What are third-party scripts?

These are extra tools you add to your site, like chat widgets, pop-ups, analytics, or marketing trackers.

Why remove them?

Each one can slow down your site, especially if you have many.

What should you do?

• List all add-ons and widgets on your site.
• Ask: Do I really need this? If not, remove it.
• Only keep what’s truly helpful for your visitors or business.

2. Use Simple Fonts (and Upload Them the Right Way)

What should you do?

• Use only 1-2 font families on your site.
• Avoid using lots of bold, italic, or extra-thin versions.
• Instead of linking directly to Google Fonts, download your chosen font from Google Fonts to your computer, then upload it directly to Webflow.
• This way, the font loads faster and doesn’t rely on another website.

3. Make Images Smaller and Smarter

Why do images slow down sites?

Large, uncompressed images take longer to load.

What should you do?

• In Webflow, you can compress your images to modern formats like WebP or AVIF.
• This makes them load faster while still looking great.
• For icons or simple graphics, use SVG files-they’re tiny and load instantly.
• Turn on “lazy loading” for images so pictures below the fold (not visible right away) load only when needed.

4. Don’t Upload Videos Directly

Why?

Videos are big files and can slow down your site a lot.

What should you do?

• Upload your videos to YouTube or Vimeo.
• Use Webflow’s “Embed” feature to show the video on your site.
• This way, your site stays fast and your videos still look great.

5. Clean Up Unused Stuff

What does this mean?

Over time, you might add styles, animations, or features you no longer use.

What should you do?

• In Webflow Designer, go to the Style Manager and click “Clean Up” to remove unused classes.
• Delete any unused animations or interactions.

6. Test Your Site’s Speed

How do you do this?

• Go to Google PageSpeed Insights and enter your website address.
• It will show you a score and simple suggestions to make your site faster.
• Try to fix the top issues it lists.

Bonus Tip: Use Async and Defer for Custom Scripts

What are async and defer?

These are settings you can use when adding custom scripts to your site (like analytics or chat tools).

• Async means the script loads in the background and doesn’t block the rest of your page from loading.
• Defer means the script waits until the main content is loaded before it runs.

When should you use them?

• Use async for scripts that don’t depend on anything else on your page (for example, analytics).
• Use defer for scripts that need the whole page to be loaded first (for example, scripts that change something on your page after it loads).

How do you add them?

If you add a custom script in your Webflow project settings or an Embed element, you can write:

<script src="<https://example.com/script.js>" async></script>
<script src="<https://example.com/script.js>" defer></script>

If you’re not sure, ask a Webflow expert for help.

Conclusion

You don’t need to be a tech expert to make your Webflow site faster.

Just:

• Remove what you don’t need
• Use simple fonts and upload them directly
• Compress images and use Webflow’s modern image formats
• Embed videos instead of uploading
• Clean up unused styles
• Test your site speed regularly
• Use async and defer for any custom scripts

A fast site means happier visitors and more business for you.

FAQs

1. How do I make my Webflow site faster?

Remove unnecessary scripts, use simple fonts by uploading them directly to Webflow, compress images (use Webflow’s WebP or AVIF options), embed videos instead of uploading, clean up unused styles, and test your site speed regularly.

2. What is the best way to add custom fonts in Webflow?‍

Download your chosen font from Google Fonts to your computer, then upload it directly to Webflow. This helps your site load fonts faster and more reliably.

3. How can I optimize images in Webflow?

Compress images before uploading using tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh. In Webflow, set images to use modern formats like WebP or AVIF for better performance.

4. Should I upload videos directly to Webflow?

No, upload your videos to YouTube or Vimeo and embed them in Webflow. This keeps your site fast and reduces page size.

5. What are async and defer, and when should I use them?

Async and defer are settings for loading custom scripts.

• Use async for scripts that don’t depend on the page (like analytics).
• Use defer for scripts that should run after the page loads (like scripts that change something on your page after it loads).
  

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Want to learn more about choosing the right Webflow expert for your startup? Check out my previous blog: Agency vs. One Expert: What’s Best for Founders Building a Webflow Website in 2025.