WordPress site slow on desktop, fast on mobile

Hi everyone. I’m facing an unusual issue: two days ago, the load speed of the WordPress site (beautifullife.info) suddenly and drastically dropped. It’s so severe that it can take 3 to 4 minutes for a page to fully load-literally.

Interestingly, when viewing the site on a smartphone, the load speed is just fine. But when I open the site on a PC, loading images can take a very long time, and sometimes not all of them load.

Here’s what we’ve done so far:

1. We contacted Hetzner’s support team (where the website is hosted), and they confirmed there are no issues on the server side.
2. Our admin checked the overall server load (there wasn’t any) and specifically looked at the server logs to see how it responds when opening pages. The server delivers the page quickly, but images load very slowly. This issue only occurs on desktop; as I mentioned, pages load quickly on smartphones.

So, the server and network seem to be fine, but the problem persists.

Has anyone encountered something like this? What could be causing it?

And just to note, we haven’t reinstalled anything on the site, added new plugins, changed hosting providers, or made any other changes.

I’d really appreciate any help.

 

It could be an issue with a plugin or theme, even if no recent changes were made.
Try disabling all plugins, especially those related to image optimization or lazy loading, and switch to a default WordPress theme.
This can help identify if a plugin or theme is causing the conflict.

 

Are you suggesting disabling the lazy loading plugin or replacing it with a similar one? Another question - could the issue be due to an older version of PHP on the server?

 

Have you considered checking if there's a specific element on your desktop version that’s causing the delay, like heavy images or scripts? Sometimes clearing your cache or even testing with a different browser can help, too!

 

Just disable the lazy loading plugin and then check the loading speed.
If I’m not mistaken, everything should be fine after that.

 

Sometimes, a recent update to your theme or a plugin can cause performance problems. Try temporarily deactivating all plugins and switching to a default WordPress theme to see if the issue persists. If it does, you can reactivate plugins individually to identify the culprit.

Conversely, Large, unoptimized images can significantly slow your site's loading time. Use a tool like TinyPNG to compress your images without compromising quality.

Finally, you need to optimize your database. A cluttered or fragmented database can also impact performance. Run a database optimization tool or plugin to clean up and optimize your database.

 

can you please inbox me details I can check it for you

 

I was able to partially restore the loading speed. As Asterion mentioned, the issue was with the lazy loading plugin. It hadn’t been updated in a while, which slowed down the site. However, updating the plugin requires installing a new version of PHP on the server, and that's not straightforward either. So, there’s still work to be done.

 

Yes, without a doubt
Running on old PHP can certainly degrade performance, sometimes to the extent that your site or backend won't load at all.

 

It sounds like you've already done a thorough check on the server and network side. Given that the issue is specific to desktop views and involves images load

1. Browser Caching and Local Issues:
   
   • Clear Browser Cache: Some
   • Check Different Browsers: See i
2. Image Optimization:
   
   • Image Sizes: Ensure that the images on your site are optimized for web use. Large image files can slow down load times. You can use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to compress images.
   • Responsive Images: Make sure you’re using responsive image techniques to deliver appropriately sized images for different devices.
3. Content Delivery Network (CDN):
   
   • CDN Usage: If you're not already using a CDN, consider setting one up. CDNs help distribute your content across various servers worldwide, which can improve load times for desktop users.
4. Theme and Plugin Conflicts:
   
   • Deactivate Plugins: Temporarily deactivate all plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Three) to see if the issue persists. If the problem resolves, reactivate plugins one by one to identify the culprit.
   • Check for Updates: Ensure all your themes and plugins are up to date. Outdated code can sometimes cause performance issues.
5. Network Issues:
   
   • Check Your Local Network: Sometimes, network settings or issues with your local network can affect load times. Try accessing the site from a different network to see if the problem persists.
6. Web Hosting Configuration:
   
   • Check for Network Configuration Issues: Even though Hetzner’s support has checked the server, there could be configuration issues specific to how assets are served.
7. Developer Tools:
   
   • Browser Developer Tools: Use the developer tools in your browser (F12 or right-click and select "Inspect") to monitor network activity. Look for any resources (like images) that are taking a long time to load or failing to load.
8. Check for Errors:
   
   • JavaScript Errors: Sometimes JavaScript errors can cause issues with how resources are loaded. Check the console tab in your browser’s developer tools for any errors.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, consider reaching out to a WordPress performance expert who can conduct a more detailed investigation into your site’s performance.