Divi is one of the most popular WordPress themes, known for its visual builder and flexibility. However, this flexibility can introduce performance issues if not managed correctly. In this guide, we’ll cover actionable techniques to optimize your Divi-powered site for better speed, SEO, and user experience in 2025.
Table of Contents
Why Optimize Divi?
Despite recent performance improvements, Divi sites can still:
- Load unnecessary CSS and JavaScript
- Struggle with mobile speed and Core Web Vitals
- Have high bounce rates due to slow loading times
Optimizing Divi ensures your site is fast, user-friendly, and ranks well in search engines.
1. Enable Divi’s Built-in Performance Settings
Elegant Themes has introduced powerful performance features. Navigate to:
Divi → Theme Options → Performance
Enable the following options:
- Dynamic Module Framework
- Dynamic CSS
- Critical CSS Generation
- Dynamic JavaScript Libraries
- Defer Gutenberg Block CSS
These settings dramatically reduce the size of your pages by only loading what’s needed.
2. Remove Unused CSS, JS, and Modules
Divi loads many styles by default. Clean up your site by:
- Disabling unused modules in Divi → Builder → Advanced
- Using plugins like Asset CleanUp or Perfmatters to unload scripts on specific pages
- Minifying and combining CSS and JS with WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, or Autoptimize
3. Optimize Images and Enable Lazy Loading
Image-heavy Divi pages need proper optimization:
- Convert images to WebP or AVIF formats
- Compress images using ShortPixel, Imagify, or TinyPNG
- Enable lazy loading for images and videos
Also avoid large background images on mobile devices and use SVGs where possible.
4. Eliminate Render-Blocking Resources
Divi and third-party plugins may add JavaScript that blocks page rendering. To fix this:
- Defer non-critical JS
- Disable jQuery Migrate if not needed
- Delay JavaScript execution using Perfmatters or FlyingPress
Use Chrome DevTools or GTMetrix to identify render-blocking assets.
5. Use a CDN and Server-Side Caching
Enhance delivery speed globally by integrating:
- Cloudflare or BunnyCDN
- Server-side caching (LiteSpeed Cache, NGINX FastCGI, or W3 Total Cache)
- Object caching (Redis or Memcached)
Ensure GZIP or Brotli compression is enabled on your server.
6. Optimize Fonts
Reduce font-related delays by:
- Hosting Google Fonts locally (using OMGF plugin)
- Using only required font weights (e.g., 400, 700)
- Switching to system fonts where branding allows
Minimizing font usage can reduce CLS and improve paint times.
7. Avoid Overusing Divi Modules and Layout Nesting
Complex layouts with deeply nested sections can slow rendering. Instead:
- Use the Theme Builder to create consistent layouts
- Minimize the use of multiple rows and columns on a single page
- Avoid stacking too many modules with animations
Maintain a clean structure for faster DOM rendering.
8. Monitor Core Web Vitals Regularly
Track your performance using:
- Google Search Console (Core Web Vitals report)
- Chrome Lighthouse
- GTMetrix (check for CLS, LCP, and TTFB)
Keep Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) below 0.1 and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) under 2.5 seconds.
Final Optimization Checklist
| Task | Tool/Plugin |
|---|---|
| Enable Divi Performance Engine | Divi Theme Options |
| Unload Scripts on Pages | Perfmatters, Asset CleanUp |
| Image Compression and Lazy Load | ShortPixel, Imagify |
| Font Hosting and Optimization | OMGF, System Font Stack |
| CDN and Server Caching | Cloudflare, LiteSpeed |
| JavaScript Defer and Delay | FlyingPress, WP Rocket |
Conclusion
With Divi’s built-in tools and external optimization strategies, you can dramatically improve your site’s performance. A well-optimized Divi site loads faster, ranks higher, and converts better.