Page caching cut TTFB from 1.1s to 0.2s

Page caching cut TTFB from 1.1s to 0.2s

TTFB — Time To First Byte — is how long the server takes to send the very first scrap of your page. It's the silent first chunk of LCP. Think of it like a kitchen: even fast waiters can't help if the chef hasn't started cooking.

A blog on shared hosting rebuilt every page from the database on each visit, so TTFB was 1.1s before a single pixel could load. That delay ate into LCP no matter how light the images were.

The fix was full-page caching:

— Saved a ready-made copy of each page after the first visit.
— Served that copy instantly to the next visitor.
— TTFB dropped to 0.2s, and LCP fell by nearly a full second.

Try this: in PageSpeed Insights, find your 'Initial server response time'. Over 600ms? Caching is likely your biggest lever.