Post-COVID Financial Reassessment

After an initial surge in spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a continued recalibration in how businesses allocate funds to web services. Performance optimization, once a priority, is now evaluated through a stricter ROI lens as companies aim to streamline costs in a more stabilized—but still cautious—economy.

Google’s Algorithm Change and Its Aftermath

The 2021 introduction of web performance parameters into Google’s ranking algorithm caused a short-lived spike in optimization efforts. However, when many businesses saw limited ranking gains, enthusiasm cooled. As of 2025, Core Web Vitals remain part of the equation, but the focus has shifted. Google’s 2024 transition from First Input Delay (FID) to Interaction to Next Paint (INP) places greater emphasis on real interactivity, pushing developers to address JavaScript bloat and responsiveness.

Economic Uncertainty

Macroeconomic factors continue to influence business decisions. Global financial volatility has kept web performance budgets under scrutiny. Most businesses now seek performance gains through infrastructure-level improvements rather than custom optimization services.

WordPress Ecosystem Changes

The WordPress ecosystem has evolved significantly. The continued rollout of Full Site Editing (FSE) via the Gutenberg editor and increased adoption of performance-first themes like Blocksy and Kadence reflect a broader movement toward streamlined, minimal plugin usage. As developers move away from bloated page builders and plugin-heavy setups, performance gains are becoming more native to the build process.

LiteSpeed Servers Adoption

LiteSpeed’s rise continues in 2025, with many hosts adopting it for its built-in caching and optimization capabilities. Its default configurations often outperform older Apache-based setups, reducing the reliance on third-party performance plugins. This shift has made server-level performance the go-to strategy for many WordPress users, particularly small businesses.

The 5G Factor

Since its widespread rollout began in 2019, 5G has improved mobile data speeds and reliability. However, even in a 5G world, perceived performance isn’t just about bandwidth. What matters more is how quickly a site becomes usable. With Google’s INP metric and UX expectations rising, developers can’t rely on network speed alone to ensure a good experience.

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Server Technology Trends

As of early 2025, the web server market continues to shift. According to W3Techs:

Global Web Server Market Share (March 2025):

• NGINX: 33.7%
• Apache: 26.7%
• LiteSpeed: 14.6%

This reflects steady growth for LiteSpeed and ongoing decline for Apache. Compared to 2023:

• NGINX dropped slightly from 34.4%
• Apache fell from 31.9%
• LiteSpeed rose from 11.9%

Historical Market Share (2014 to 2025)

• NGINX: 15.6% → 33.7%
• Apache: 64.8% → 26.7%
• LiteSpeed: 2.0% → 14.6%

These numbers show a clear trend: the market favors modern, performance-oriented web servers.

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Forecast

Short-Term (2025 Outlook)

Expect cautious spending on WordPress performance optimization. The combination of economic prudence, disillusionment with past investments, and server-level efficiencies (especially from LiteSpeed) means businesses are prioritizing low-maintenance, infrastructure-led improvements over costly custom work.

Long-Term

Over time, performance will regain attention as its value for user experience and retention becomes clearer. Rather than relying on plugins, businesses will increasingly adopt holistic solutions like optimized themes, native blocks, managed WordPress hosting, and AI-assisted optimization. Investment will likely grow, but with a focus on efficiency and automation.

While the broader CMS market is expanding, spending specifically on WordPress performance is shaped by economic caution, maturing tooling, and shifting platform preferences. This will likely result in periodic fluctuation rather than linear growth.

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Who Cares About Speed?

So why worry about speed if it no longer drives SEO rankings? Because speed is the first handshake with your audience. It’s the foundation of a positive user experience, setting the tone for how visitors perceive your site, your brand, and your credibility.

This is where the halo effect comes in: if the initial experience is good—fast loading, smooth interaction—users are more forgiving of small errors like poor button placement or typos. A fast site creates a perception of professionalism and trustworthiness that carries through the entire visit.

Even in 2025, patience is still in short supply.