Website Move Boosts Page Speed: From Strato to Netcup Hosting with Cloudflare

I recently helped a client move their WordPress website from Strato’s WordPress Hosting Basic to Netcup’s Wepspace 2000 hosting plan. To make the site even faster and more secure, we also used Cloudflare’s free Content Delivery Network (CDN) and Web Application Firewall (WAF). The results were impressive, and I’ll break it down in a way that’s easy to understand. This is a neutral report, and we are not getting paid by any of the companies mentioned.

Why Move Hosting Providers?

The client’s website was running slowly on Strato, which can frustrate visitors and hurt search engine rankings. We wanted a hosting provider that offered better performance and value for money. Netcup’s plan was a great fit, and adding Cloudflare’s free tools gave the site an extra boost in speed and security.

Comparing Hosting Plans: Strato vs. Netcup

Here’s a simple look at how the two hosting plans stack up:

Netcup is slightly more expensive in the first year but saves a lot in the long run. Plus, it includes an extra free domain, which is a nice bonus, as well as other included features such as DNSSEC records, for additionally security.

How Cloudflare Helped

Cloudflare acts like a middleman between your website and its visitors. It stores copies of your site on servers worldwide (POPs – points of presence), so pages load faster no matter where someone is visiting from. It also adds a layer of security to block harmful attacks. By pointing the website’s nameservers to Cloudflare, we tapped into these benefits without changing the site’s code or design.

Measuring the Speed Boost with Core Web Vitals

To see how much the move improved the website, we used Google’s Core Web Vitals. These are metrics that measure how fast and user-friendly a website feels. Here’s what each metric means and why it matters:

• First Contentful Paint (FCP): This measures how long it takes for the first piece of content (like text or an image) to appear on the screen. A fast FCP makes the site feel responsive right away.
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This tracks how long it takes for the main content, like a big image or headline, to load. A quick LCP ensures visitors see the important stuff fast.
• Total Blocking Time (TBT): This shows how long a page takes to become interactive, like when you can click buttons or scroll. Lower TBT means a smoother experience.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): This checks if page elements (like images or ads) shift around while loading. A low CLS score (ideally 0) means the page stays stable, avoiding annoying jumps.
• Speed Index (SI): This measures how quickly the entire page becomes visible. A lower SI means the site feels faster overall.

These metrics are crucial because they affect how users experience your website and how Google ranks it in search results. Faster, smoother websites keep visitors happy and improve your chances of appearing higher in search.

The Results: Before and After

Here’s how the website performed before and after the move, based on Core Web Vitals:

Even without tweaking the website’s backend, the move to Netcup and Cloudflare made a huge difference. Pages loaded faster, became interactive sooner, and stayed stable with no layout shifts. The biggest wins came from combining Netcup’s hosting with Cloudflare’s CDN, cutting load times significantly.

Why This Matters

Switching to a better hosting provider like Netcup and adding Cloudflare’s free tools improved the website’s speed and user experience without needing complex changes. However, as an SEO/GEO Lead, those improvements are of course still not satisfying but show the low-hanging fruits. Now the proper technical SEO/GEO work can start, such as NGINX optimization, image optimization, reduction of JavaScript, schema data, meta tag optimization, CSS minification, database clean-up, and improving mobile responsiveness. Faster websites mean happier visitors, better engagement, and a stronger chance of ranking well on Google. Plus, the cost savings over time make it a smart move for small businesses or anyone running a WordPress site.

If you’re looking to speed up your website, consider a similar move. It’s a straightforward way to get big results!

To help you get started, you can use one of our free vouchers for Netcup’s hosting plans. Visit Netcup’s website and enter once of the voucher code below to enjoy a lifetime discount!