How to Fix WordPress Speed After Gutenberg Updates?

Quick Fix: Restore Your WordPress Speed After Gutenberg Updates

To fix WordPress speed after Gutenberg updates, follow these 5 essential steps: switch to a lightweight theme (Astra or GeneratePress), enable proper caching with plugins like LiteSpeed Cache or WP Rocket, clean up unused blocks and plugins, optimise your images for web, and eliminate render-blocking CSS/JavaScript resources. These solutions address the most common performance issues UK businesses face after WordPress updates.

Introduction

Have you noticed your WordPress website crawling at a snail's pace since the latest Gutenberg updates? You're not alone. Across the UK, business owners are reporting significant slowdowns after recent WordPress core updates, with some sites experiencing loading times 40-50% slower than before.

The culprit? WordPress's block editor (Gutenberg) has evolved rapidly, but with each update comes additional CSS files, JavaScript resources, and rendering complexity that can bog down your site. For UK businesses, where 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load, this isn't just a technical annoyance—it's a revenue killer.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through proven solutions to restore your site's speed without breaking functionality, specifically addressing post-Gutenberg update performance issues that plague WordPress users in 2026.

Understanding Why Gutenberg Updates Affect Site Speed

The Block Rendering Problem

When WordPress introduced Gutenberg, it revolutionised content creation but also introduced new performance challenges. Each block on your page requires individual CSS and JavaScript files to function properly. According to recent performance analyses, the wp-block-library CSS file alone can add 15-30kb to every page load.

In our experience at Chraedon, we've seen UK client websites suffer from:

• Increased DOM size from complex block structures
• Multiple CSS file requests for different block types
• JavaScript conflicts between blocks and plugins
• Render-blocking resources that delay page painting

Plugin Compatibility Issues

Many WordPress plugins haven't fully optimised for the latest Gutenberg changes. When the WordPress block editor slow performance occurs, it's often due to outdated plugins loading unnecessary scripts on every page, regardless of whether their functionality is needed.

Step-by-Step Speed Optimisation Process

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Plugin Audit

Start by identifying plugins causing Gutenberg performance issues UK businesses commonly face:

• Deactivate all non-essential plugins temporarily
• Test your site speed using Google PageSpeed Insights
• Reactivate plugins one by one to identify culprits
• Remove or replace plugins that significantly impact performance

Pro tip: Use the Query Monitor plugin to identify slow database queries and plugin conflicts.

2. Clean Up Your Block Structure

To speed up WordPress blocks effectively:

• Remove unused blocks: Delete empty or redundant blocks from your pages
• Consolidate similar blocks: Combine multiple text blocks into single, well-structured content
• Limit block variety: Stick to essential blocks rather than experimenting with every available option
• Optimise reusable blocks: Create reusable blocks for repeated content to reduce code duplication

3. Configure Advanced Caching

Proper caching is crucial for post-Gutenberg performance. Based on 2026 performance standards, here are the best caching solutions:

LiteSpeed Cache (Recommended)

• Enable page cache, browser cache, and object cache
• Turn on CSS/JS minification
• Use critical CSS generation for above-the-fold content
• Enable image lazy loading

WP Rocket Configuration

• Activate page caching and cache preloading
• Enable GZIP compression
• Minify and combine CSS/JS files
• Implement database cleanup

Essential Caching Settings for Gutenberg:

• Preload the wp-block-library CSS file
• Cache block-specific stylesheets
• Enable browser caching for static assets
• Configure CDN integration for global delivery

4. Optimise Images and Media

Gutenberg's media-rich blocks can significantly impact loading times:

• Use WebP format: Convert images to WebP for 25-50% smaller file sizes
• Implement lazy loading: Prevent below-the-fold images from loading immediately
• Set proper dimensions: Always specify width and height attributes
• Compress existing images: Use tools like ShortPixel or Smush

Advanced Fixes for Gutenberg Speed Issues

Database Optimisation

Gutenberg stores block data differently than the classic editor, potentially creating database bloat:

1. Clean up revisions: Limit post revisions to 5-10 maximum
2. Remove unused data: Delete spam comments, unused tags, and orphaned metadata
3. Optimise database tables: Use WP-Optimize or similar plugins monthly
4. Index database queries: Ensure proper indexing for block-related queries

CDN Setup for UK Audiences

For UK-focused businesses, CDN configuration should prioritise European edge servers:

Cloudflare Configuration:

• Enable Auto Minify for CSS, JavaScript, and HTML
• Use Polish for automatic image optimisation
• Configure Page Rules for static content caching
• Enable Brotli compression

UK-Specific Considerations:

• Choose CDN providers with London edge servers
• Ensure GDPR compliance for data processing
• Test loading times from major UK cities

Hosting Considerations

The right hosting environment dramatically impacts how to fix WordPress speed after Gutenberg updates:

Essential Hosting Features:

• SSD storage with NVMe drives
• PHP 8.1 or higher
• Built-in object caching (Redis/Memcached)
• HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 support
• UK-based servers for local audience

Advanced Performance Optimisation

Eliminate Render-Blocking Resources

Gutenberg can create multiple render-blocking CSS and JavaScript files. Here's how to address them:

• Inline critical CSS: Extract above-the-fold styles and inline them
• Defer non-critical JavaScript: Load block scripts after page render
• Use font-display: swap: Prevent font loading from blocking page render
• Preload essential resources: Prioritise critical Gutenberg assets

Theme Optimisation

Your theme choice significantly impacts Gutenberg performance:

Recommended Lightweight Themes:

• Astra: Optimised for speed with minimal CSS
• GeneratePress: Clean code and fast loading times
• Blocksy: Built specifically for Gutenberg performance

Theme Optimisation Steps:

• Remove unused theme features
• Disable unnecessary widgets and sidebars
• Minimise custom fonts and animations
• Use theme customiser instead of page builders

Monitoring and Maintenance

Regular monitoring prevents future Gutenberg performance issues UK businesses commonly encounter:

• Monthly speed audits: Test Core Web Vitals scores
• Plugin updates: Keep all plugins current but test on staging first
• Database maintenance: Regular cleanup and optimisation
• Cache purging: Clear cache after content updates

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is my WordPress site slow after Gutenberg updates?

Gutenberg updates often introduce new CSS and JavaScript files, increase DOM complexity, and can conflict with existing plugins. Each block type loads specific resources, and accumulated updates create render-blocking resources that slow page loading significantly.

Q: Which WordPress plugins cause Gutenberg speed issues?

Common culprits include outdated page builders (Elementor, WPBakery), poorly coded block plugins, multiple SEO plugins running simultaneously, and legacy plugins that haven't been updated for modern WordPress. Social sharing and slider plugins are frequent offenders.

Q: How do I optimise block editor performance UK?

Focus on UK-specific hosting with London servers, implement Cloudflare CDN with European edge locations, use GDPR-compliant caching solutions, choose lightweight themes optimised for British audiences, and regularly audit plugins for compatibility with latest Gutenberg versions.

Q: Can Gutenberg blocks affect Core Web Vitals?

Yes, Gutenberg blocks directly impact Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) through heavy images and complex layouts, Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) from improperly sized block elements, and First Input Delay (FID) from JavaScript-heavy interactive blocks loading synchronously.

Conclusion

Fixing WordPress speed after Gutenberg updates doesn't have to be overwhelming. By following our systematic approach—from plugin audits and caching configuration to advanced database optimisation—you can restore and even improve your site's performance.

Remember, website speed isn't just about user experience; it's crucial for SEO rankings and conversion rates. UK businesses that prioritise site performance see average conversion improvements of 15-20%.

At Chraedon, we specialise in WordPress optimisation and performance auditing for UK businesses. If you're struggling with persistent speed issues or need professional assistance implementing these solutions, our team of certified web performance experts can help.

Ready to supercharge your WordPress site? Contact Chraedon today for a free website speed audit and discover how much faster your site could be.

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