Most slow WordPress sites are slow for boring reasons: render-blocking CSS, unoptimised hero images and plugin sprawl. A repeatable checklist fixes 80% of it before you ever touch a CDN.
Why it matters
Projects rarely fail on technology — they fail on unclear decisions made early and discovered late. Writing the approach down, in public, forces the clarity we want at kickoff.
- Start from the user-visible outcome, not the stack.
- Make the second build cheaper than the first.
- Ship something measurable every week.
The takeaway
Treat this as a starting point, not gospel — every project bends the rules somewhere. The value is in knowing exactly which rule you are bending, and why.
