Martijn Assie

Posted on Jan 20

Why Your Avada Site is Slow (And How to Fix It)

#wordpress #tutorial #performance #webdev

So you bought Avada - the #1 selling WordPress theme of all time...

And now your site loads like it's running on a potato from 2003!!

Don't worry... You're not alone...

Over 900,000 people use Avada. And most of them struggle with the exact same problem ;)

The thing is: Avada is basically a Swiss Army knife for WordPress. It does EVERYTHING. But all those features come at a cost - bloat.

Let me show you how to fix it....

Why Avada is Slow (The Real Reason)

Here's the brutal truth:

Avada loads everything by default. Sliders you don't use?? Loaded. Mega menu scripts? Loaded. YouTube API when you have zero videos? You guessed it...

It's like packing your entire wardrobe for a weekend trip!!

The good news: You can turn most of this off :)

Step 1: Run the Performance Wizard

Avada actually has a built-in Performance Wizard that most people don't know about...

Go to Avada → Performance Wizard in your WordPress dashboard.

This wizard does several things:

Scans which Builder Elements you actually use
Disables unused features automatically
Optimizes CSS/JS loading
Generates Critical CSS

Important: Only run this AFTER your site is finished!! The wizard disables features you're not using - if you add new content later you'll need to re-enable them...

Step 2: Disable Unused Features

Navigate to Avada → Options → Advanced → Theme Features

Turn OFF everything you don't need:

❌ Elastic Slider (if not using)
❌ Fusion Slider (if not using)  
❌ YouTube API Scripts (if no videos)
❌ Vimeo API Scripts (if no videos)
❌ Google Map Scripts (if no maps)
❌ Mega Menu (if not using)

Each disabled feature = less JavaScript loaded = faster site!!

Step 3: Disable Unused Builder Elements

Go to Avada → Options → Builder Options → Avada Builder Elements

Click "Run Element Scan" - this scans your entire site and shows which elements you're actually using...

Then disable everything else!!

Pro tip: Be careful here... If you disable an element that's used somewhere you'll see broken markup on the frontend...

Step 4: Enable Critical CSS

This is a game-changer for Core Web Vitals....

Go to Avada → Options → Performance and enable:

✅ Enable Critical CSS = ON
✅ CSS Compiling Method = File
✅ Enable JS Compiler = ON (only for HTTP/1)

Then go to Avada → Critical CSS and generate Critical CSS for:

Homepage
All Pages
Important Posts

What this does: It loads only the CSS needed for "above the fold" content first... The rest loads after :)

Important: Regenerate Critical CSS after every major Avada update!! Old CSS can break your styling...

Step 5: Optimize Lazy Loading

In Avada → Options → Performance:

✅ Image Lazy Loading = Avada (recommended)
✅ Iframe Lazy Loading = Avada
✅ Font Face Rendering = Swap All

But here's the trick most people miss...

For your main hero image (above the fold), you should skip lazy loading!!

In your Container or Image Element settings, look for the option "Skip Lazy Load" and enable it for your largest above-the-fold image...

This improves LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) dramatically :)

Step 6: Kill the Sliders

I know... I know... You love that fancy slider on your homepage??

But sliders are performance KILLERS!!

They need JavaScript to render. They wait for the DOM to be ready. They load multiple large images...

Better alternative:

Use a static hero image with a Container background. You get the same visual impact without the performance hit...

If you MUST use a slider, use Fusion Slider (lightest of the three). And use Conditional Rendering to hide it on mobile!!

Step 7: Install a Caching Plugin

Avada's built-in optimizations help... But they're not enough for really fast load times...

You need a proper caching plugin.

WP Rocket is what I recommend... It's not free but it's worth every penny!!

Why WP Rocket specifically for Avada?

Auto-integrates with Avada's lazy loading
Handles Critical CSS better than most
Remove Unused CSS feature works great
Page caching reduces server response time dramatically

Important settings when using WP Rocket with Avada:

In Avada:
- Disable Avada's CSS combination (conflicts with WP Rocket RUCSS)
- Keep Lazy Loading = Avada OR WP Rocket (not both!!)
- Keep Critical CSS = OFF (let WP Rocket handle it)

In WP Rocket:
- Enable Page Caching
- Enable Remove Unused CSS
- Enable Delay JavaScript Execution
- Enable Separate Mobile Cache (for Avada specifically!)

The key is: Don't double up on features... Use either Avada's optimization OR WP Rocket's - not both...

Step 8: Optimize Your Images

This is where most Avada sites actually fail....

People upload 4000px images for a 1100px container!! Google PageSpeed sees this and tanks your score...

The rules:

Never upload images larger than needed
Use WebP format (Avada supports it natively)
Compress images before uploading
Use an image CDN like Cloudflare

Quick check: If your homepage is loading 5MB+ of images... That's your problem right there :)

Step 9: Get Better Hosting

I've seen so many people blame Avada for slow speeds when the real culprit is their $3/month shared hosting...

Avada needs resources!! It's a complex theme with lots of features...

Minimum requirements:

PHP 8.0+ (newer = faster)
At least 256MB memory limit
Fast SSD storage
Good server response time (under 200ms)

If your host can't deliver this... Switch hosts before blaming the theme!!

The Settings Cheat Sheet

Here's my recommended Performance tab configuration:

// Avada → Options → Performance

SVG Media Upload = ON
WordPress Image Quality = 82
Image Lazy Loading = Avada
Iframe Lazy Loading = Avada
Font Face Rendering = Swap All
Preload Key Fonts = Google Fonts

// Dynamic CSS & JS
CSS Compiling Method = File
Load Media-Queries Asynchronously = OFF (usually slower)
Enable Critical CSS = ON
Enable JS Compiler = ON (for HTTP/1) or OFF (for HTTP/2)

// Features to disable
Elastic Slider = OFF
Legacy Button Presets = OFF
YouTube/Vimeo API = OFF (unless using)

Real Results You Can Expect

After implementing all of this??

Before optimization:

Mobile: 35-50 PageSpeed score
Desktop: 60-75 PageSpeed score
LCP: 4-6 seconds

After optimization:

Mobile: 70-85 PageSpeed score
Desktop: 90-98 PageSpeed score
LCP: 1.5-2.5 seconds

Will you hit 100/100 on mobile with Avada? Probably not... It's still a feature-rich theme...

But you CAN get into the green zone with proper optimization!!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using multiple optimization plugins

Don't run WP Rocket + Autoptimize + W3 Total Cache together!! Pick ONE caching solution...

2. Enabling both Avada AND plugin lazy loading

This causes images to not load at all... Or load twice... Pick one method!!

3. Forgetting to clear cache after changes

Made optimization changes but see no difference?? Clear ALL caches:

Avada cache (Reset Fusion Caches)
Plugin cache
Server cache
Browser cache
CDN cache

4. Not regenerating Critical CSS after updates

After every major Avada update, the old Critical CSS becomes invalid... Regenerate it!!

When to Consider Switching Themes

Look... I'll be honest with you...

If you're building a simple blog or portfolio, Avada might be overkill...

Lighter themes like Astra or GeneratePress will always be faster because they do less...

Avada shines when you need its features:

Complex layouts
Multiple demo sites
Included premium plugins (Slider Revolution, ACF Pro, etc.)
Extensive customization without code

If you're not using at least 50% of what Avada offers... A lighter theme might serve you better...

Wrapping Up

Avada CAN be fast... It just needs some love!!

The key steps:

Run the Performance Wizard
Disable unused features and elements
Enable Critical CSS
Optimize lazy loading (skip for hero images!)
Ditch the sliders
Install WP Rocket
Optimize your images
Get decent hosting

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