Fix your Elementor Core Web Vitals regardless of effects, external scripts, chat widgets. Override speed blockers.
Click to check my Elementor Results
Fast site with Elementor 90+ (mobile)
Woocommerce with Elementor 90+ (mobile)
Regardless if you have a simple Elementor site or an Elementor Woocommerce, you can reach s.
When it comes to website speed page builders like Elementor are speed blockers. I have measured that Elementor trims 20-60 speed points on un-optimized client sites that ask for my help in fixing their speed. In the past, the only solution was to rebuild the site content. Today I have developed a method that keeps Elementor put and yields easily 90+ website speed.
Needless to say, the number of installed plugins plays a major role.
Actions taken:
1. Server optimization/caching. Unregulated server caching and/or limited hosting resources will block higher speed. Those two could reduce your speed potential from 1.5s to 4s. Most of the time, managed hosting does not allow optimizing the server because it gives no access to the critical speed settings. To tweak server settings I need a full working cPanel or Plesk.
2. CSS/JS errors fixed. These relate to UX (mobile/desktop view) and performance (sites with UX errors get low grades on the speed reports).
3. CSS/JS merging/deferring. Unused CSS cleaning. Reduces the CSS file size up to 96%.
4. Fonts are served locally and preloaded so they are not render-blocking.
5. Image optimization (I have developed a technique to reduce the file size of images up to 78% (lossless compression), not found elsewhere. Freelancers either shrink the images via WP plugins e.g., Imagify, Smush, or online services that destroy the visuals. My technique is 100% manual (two-stage processing).
6. Defer external scripts i.e. Facebook, Analytics, Google Ads, chat widgets, tracking scripts, etc.
Is Elementor heavy?
Every page builder plugin e.g. Divi, WPBakery, Thrive Architect (sic!), etc. loads a lot of CSS and JS scripts that can be render-blocking for the page content, thus those page builders could be dubbed heavy and speed blockers. Speaking from personal experience, Elementor can be heavy when it loads animations (in particularly, I have found the Marvy elementor animation plugin) not compatible with modern speed standards and when found on a site I consider it an extreme case that calls for special handling, heavy in simple words). If you are doing manual speed optimization you will have a problem with all page builders. But if you are using a caching plugin it will not take into account all Elementor resources and manage them efficiently.