5 Common Notion Website Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make (How to Fix them)
Learn how to make your Notion website faster by avoiding 5 critical mistakes.
Why Slow Notion Websites Hurt Traffic and How to Fix It
Find out why Notion slows down and discover practical ways to speed up your workspace on any device.
What if someone stumbles upon your website, clicks the link… and waits? And waits. Three seconds pass. They sigh, hit the back button, and disappear forever.
That visitor? A lost subscriber. A lost customer. A lost opportunity.
Slow websites don’t just test patience—they kill traffic, slash engagement, and destroy credibility. You built something great, but no one is sticking around to see it.
Here’s the harsh truth: If your site is slow, it’s invisible.
This article breaks down why Notion can be slow, methods to improve its performance, and why Bullet.so is structured differently to avoid these issues.
Common Reasons Why Notion is Slow
There are several technical factors behind Notion’s performance limitations:
1. Large Content Volume
The more blocks, images, databases, and embeds on a page, the longer it takes to load. Simple text pages load faster, but pages with linked databases, embedded widgets, and multiple images (especially GIFs) experience slower load times.
2. Complex Databases
Databases that link to multiple other pages or pull data from several sources place heavier demand on Notion’s servers. This slows down loading, especially for large or deeply nested databases.
3. Background Processes
Notion’s performance is also affected by local system load. If the device runs multiple apps, dozens of browser tabs, or other background processes, Notion can become slower — particularly in the web app.
Practical Ways to Improve Notion Page’s Speed
Users facing performance issues can try these steps to reduce loading times:
1. Compress Images Before Uploading
Uploading large images directly into Notion adds unnecessary weight to pages. Compressing images using tools like TinyPNG before uploading reduces page load times.
2. Avoid Unsplash Cover Images
Unsplash images, available directly in Notion, often have large file sizes. Notion loads them in full resolution, slowing down page rendering. Instead, download smaller versions of images or compress them before adding as covers.
3. Use the Desktop App
Notion’s desktop app may offer slight performance improvements over the browser version by better using local system resources.
4. Simplify Databases
Complex databases with extensive properties, relations, rollups, and filters load slower than simpler ones. Reducing complexity, splitting large databases, or limiting the use of linked databases can help.
5. Regularly Archive Unused Content
Larger workspaces load slower. Periodically archiving or deleting unused pages and databases helps keep the workspace more responsive.
6. Clear Cache
Notion’s cache temporarily stores page data for faster reloading. In some cases, clearing the cache (in both the desktop app and browser) can improve performance.
7. Limit Embedded Widgets
Widgets (like calendars, weather blocks, and timers) are external elements loaded from third-party services. Each widget triggers an external data request, slowing page load times. Minimizing widgets or placing them within toggle blocks (so they load only when opened) reduces unnecessary requests.
When Optimization Isn’t Enough: Platform Design Matters
Even after following all these best practices, Notion’s speed issues may persist — especially in complex workspaces or when building public websites with Notion.
At Bullet.so, we’ve observed how performance challenges in Notion directly impact websites built with it. Many users are migrating to Bullet.so not just for design flexibility but also to improve loading times and overall site performance. Bullet.so handles content rendering differently — reducing unnecessary requests, optimizing asset delivery, and enabling faster page loads compared to directly published Notion pages.
For those using Notion as a website builder, it’s essential to follow Notion Website Best Practices to minimize load times while maintaining functionality and design. Simple changes like compressing images, limiting embeds, and optimizing database structures can make a noticeable difference.
How Bullet.so Avoids These Issues
Bullet.so, is built specifically for publishing Notion content as websites and for creating websites using Notion-like block editing, takes a different approach to performance. Bullet.so prioritizes:
- Lighter Page Structures: Pages are rendered in a cleaner format, with fewer unnecessary background processes.
- Optimized Block Handling: Each content block is processed more efficiently to reduce load times.
- Selective Loading: Only visible or active content loads immediately, reducing initial page weight.
- Real-Time Customization without Full Reloads: Direct block editing updates the page instantly without requiring manual refreshes.
This structural difference means Bullet.so handles larger content sets and embedded elements faster than Notion’s native interface.
Conclusion
For users managing simple pages or light personal workspaces, Notion’s performance is usually manageable with some adjustments. However, for larger, more complex workspaces or public-facing sites, the platform’s architectural limits become more noticeable.
If speed and responsiveness are critical factors, choosing a platform designed with performance in mind — like Bullet.so — is a more sustainable approach than continuously working around Notion’s inherent bottlenecks.
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