Web design and development · Delivered online · anywhere in Ireland
Website speed and security
Whether this needs a licence in Ireland
No licence required
Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer
Website speed and security: what the job involves
Making an existing website faster and harder to attack: measuring load times and Core Web Vitals, optimising images, caching and code, and hardening logins, software and server settings. It also covers cleaning up a site that has been hacked.
Also asked for as: website hacked · speed up my website · website security · slow website fix · malware removal website
How the job is usually done
- Measure speed and run a security scan, and agree the findings and priorities.
- Back up the full site before changing anything.
- Optimise images, caching, fonts and scripts, and remove plugins or code that slow the site.
- Update software, remove unused accounts and plugins, and turn on two-factor logins.
- Set up HTTPS correctly, security headers, a firewall and malware monitoring.
- Re-test speed and security and report what changed and what is left.
Website speed and security: what is included
Usually included
- A speed and security report before and after
- Image, caching and code optimisation
- Software updates and removal of unused plugins and accounts
- Login hardening and HTTPS setup
- Malware clean-up, where that is the agreed job
Usually not included — agree it separately
- A redesign or rebuild when the site cannot be fixed economically
- Moving hosting, unless agreed
- Ongoing monitoring after the job, which is a maintenance plan
- A formal penetration test by a specialist
Materials and who supplies them
- Caching, firewall or content delivery network services, in the business’s account
- Security plugins or monitoring tools, licensed to the business
How long it takes
A speed and security tune-up usually takes a day or a few days; a hacked site can take longer, depending on how deep the infection goes and whether clean backups exist.
Website speed and security: the rules in Ireland
What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.
Personal data must be protected with security appropriate to the risk, such as encryption in transit, access control and tested backups. A personal data breach that poses a risk to people must be reported to the Data Protection Commission within 72 hours of becoming aware of it.
Applies to: the business that owns the website, helped by its developer or host
GDPR, Articles 32 and 33; Data Protection Commission · dataprotection.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
A developer, agency or host that stores or can access the personal data on a site on the business’s behalf is a processor, and the two must have a written contract covering the matters set out in Article 28 GDPR: instructions, confidentiality, security, sub-processors, deletion or return at the end, and help with breaches.
Applies to: the business, as controller, and the developer or host, as processor
GDPR, Article 28; Data Protection Commission, A Practical Guide to Controller-Processor Contracts · dataprotection.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
Hosting, email or plugins that send personal data outside the European Economic Area are restricted transfers and need an adequacy decision or another safeguard, such as standard contractual clauses.
Applies to: the business that owns the website
GDPR, Chapter V; Data Protection Commission · dataprotection.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
What website speed and security costs, and why
What jobs on Talqero came to
Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.
What affects the price
- Size and age of the site, and how many plugins or custom code it has
- Whether the site is hacked now
- Quality of the current hosting
- Whether clean backups exist
- Speed targets agreed, and how many pages must meet them
What you should get at the end
- Before-and-after report of speed and security findings
- List of changes made, accounts removed and settings changed
- Notes for the business on whether a data breach may need reporting
What the provider should hand over
- Give the before-and-after report and the list of changes
- Recommend ongoing maintenance and monitoring in writing
Safety
- If customer data may have been exposed in a hack, the business may have to report it to the Data Protection Commission within 72 hours; keep a record of what was found and when.
- Change every password, including hosting, email and database, after a hack is cleaned.
- Do not rely on a security plugin alone; keep software up to date and backups off the server.
Website speed and security: before you hire
Questions to ask before you hire
- How will you measure the improvement?
- Will you back up the site before you start?
- If the site was hacked, how will you find out whether customer data was taken?
- What do you need me to do afterwards to keep it secure?
What you can do yourself
An owner can turn on two-factor logins, remove unused plugins and compress large images, but cleaning a hacked site should be left to someone who can find every backdoor.
What to put in your task
- What is the main problem?
- What is the site built with?
- Does the site store customer details or take payments?
- Do you have recent backups?
Photos that help
- The website address
- Screenshots of any warning, error or strange page
- A speed test result, if you have run one
Web design and development
Need website speed and security? Describe the job.
Post it once, free. Professionals anywhere in Ireland reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.
Questions about website speed and security
Does website speed and security need a licence in Ireland?
No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.irishstatutebook.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.
Does site speed affect my Google ranking?
Speed and page experience are among the many signals Google uses, and slow pages lose visitors on phones. A tune-up usually helps both, but content and relevance matter more for ranking.
My site was hacked. Do I have to report it?
If personal data such as customer details may have been accessed and there is a risk to those people, the GDPR requires the business to notify the Data Protection Commission within 72 hours of becoming aware. Keep a record of what happened either way.
Why is my site slow?
Common causes are large images, too many plugins, slow hosting and third-party scripts such as chat widgets and trackers. A speed audit shows which ones matter on your site.