TTFB (Time to First Byte)

What we check

We open the home page three times in a row and each time measure the time from sending the request to the first byte of the response, the "Time to First Byte" (TTFB). From the three values we take the median so that individual outliers do not count.

The expert view of the report shows every measurement on its own, split into DNS lookup, TCP connection, TLS handshake and server wait time, plus the range and the standard deviation. A large spread points to a server that sometimes answers from its cache and sometimes builds the page anew. Usually the measurement runs over a connection that is already open; then the TTFB is practically the server wait time.

• up to 0.8 seconds: good
• over 0.8 seconds: warning
• over 1.8 seconds: serious defect

Why it matters

Before the browser can show anything, the server has to respond. While it is computing, visitors see only a white page. Every tenth of a second here delays everything that comes afterwards: text, images, styling.

A slow server response almost always has one of these reasons:

• No page cache: a CMS such as WordPress rebuilds every page from the database on every request. With many plugins this takes time.
• Overloaded shared hosting: cheap plans share a server with hundreds of other websites.
• Outdated PHP version: newer PHP versions are much faster than old ones.
• Slow plugins or extensions that query external services on every request.

How to fix it

1. Set up a page cache

A cache stores the finished page and delivers it directly on the next request. This often brings the greatest gain.

• WordPress: WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache (on LiteSpeed servers) or WP Super Cache. Some hosting providers have a cache of their own built in, which is switched on in the customer area.
• Other CMS: TYPO3, Joomla and Drupal have built-in caches. Check whether they are active.
• Website builders such as Wix or Squarespace take care of it themselves. There is little to do here.

2. Update PHP

In the hosting panel choose the newest PHP version that the CMS supports. Test the website afterwards.

3. Clear out plugins

Deactivate plugins that are not strictly needed as a test and measure again. Tools such as "Query Monitor" show in WordPress which plugin costs how much time.

4. Review the hosting

If the response time stays high despite the cache, the hosting plan is too small or the server is overloaded. Ask the provider about switching to a more powerful plan or compare providers.

How to check it yourself

Open the developer tools (F12), "Network" tab, and reload the page. Click the first line (the HTML document) and then "Timing". The value "Waiting for server response" is the server wait time. The TTFB is the sum up to that point, so with DNS, connection setup and TLS.

Frequently asked questions

Is a more expensive hosting plan the solution?

Sometimes. More often a page cache helps: then the server does not have to rebuild the page on every request. Only if that is not enough is a larger plan or another provider worthwhile.

Does the location of the server play a role?

Yes, but less than you would think. A server in the same country or region as most visitors is ideal. A server on another continent costs about 0.1 to 0.2 seconds extra per connection.