Speed is everything. That’s why we will go through a guide on “How To SpeedUp Your WordPress Website”.
When it comes to the web, the notion still stands strong and valid. No one likes to visit a website that takes tons of time to load. According to experts, your business is potentially losing many customers due to high loading times.
WordPress has evolved from a blogging platform to a multi-purpose CMS. Its capability to be used in any scenario has made it the number one CMS with over 25 % of the web using WordPress. The ease of use also makes WordPress a great choice.
But, there is one of the biggest myth surrounding WordPress. The myth dictates that WordPress is slow and is not ready for the fast web. There is no truth in the statement as WordPress is a great CMS. Taking all the stakes in general, it is good idea to assume that WordPress is fast. Now, the question stands can it be faster?
Yes, it can be made faster to perform with some tricks and tips. In today’s post, we will go through a series of points which makes WordPress faster. So, without much ado, let’s get started with How to Speedup Your WordPress website.
How To SpeedUp Your WordPress website
1. A great host goes a long way
The biggest constraint that I have seen among slow website is the hosting server. It is reasonable for entrepreneurs/bloggers to go for a shared hosting as they are not eager to invest in a good host. But, the wrong choice of hosts can cost you business!
If you still don’t like paying for overpriced hosting, you can always check Digital Hosting $5 droplets that work just like managed hosting providers. The only downside is to maintain the server yourself. A bit of technical knowledge requirement is also a drawback.
Hosting we recommend:
Also, read, How to pick hosting for your blog?
2. Using a proper Caching plugin
Caching can help improve your website loading time. The computer techniques enable computers to store static resources, improving the loading time drastically.
There are tons of cache plugins you can choose from. I would recommend W3 Total Cache for proper usage. You can also use WP Super Cache or WP Fastest Cache
3. Choosing the right Framework/Theme
We always stress on the use of appropriate framework or theme for your website. With tons of framework and themes to choose from, the first thing that you should take care of is the quality of code that it used by the theme/framework. As an end user with low technical knowledge, you should look for reviews on authority websites.
We recommend Genesis framework for serious bloggers/professionals. Any Genesis theme will go great with the framework.
Also, check, The Genesis Framework Things You Should Know Before You Buy and 100+ Best Genesis Child Themes.
Alternatively, you can look for Thesis Theme framework.
Don’t want to buy any theme/framework? Then, it is a good idea to go for free themes from WordPress repository. Check user reviews to know how it will fair in the real world.
4. Optimize Images
Once, I worked with a client who failed to understand why his website loads so slow. The GIG was simple as I needed to find out the problem and make the site faster. To my surprise, the owner has uploaded unoptimized images of 2 MB size.
You can also make the same mistake and load massive PNG image file to the backend. You can use WP-Smushit for automatically smashing the images to their right size and quality.
A good alternative is TinyPNG, which can tone down the image size by 80-90% percent without any visual difference. Download WordPress plugin from here.
5. Database Optimization
Over time, your database will become bloated with query storage or instances of post/pages that you don’t require anymore. The unnecessary clutter of information can slow down your website as a simple query will take a lot of time to respond.
WP-Optimize is one of those amazing plugins that optimize your database from tons of issues and makes your website faster than ever. Just one thing that you need to take note. You need to use the plugin in regular intervals of 2-3 months to ensure optimal website performance.
6. Use CDN(Content Delivery Network)
Content Delivery Network(CDN) are utilized for distributing content across the world. It is useful for websites who have a good chunk of static resources to spread. Resources such as image sprite, JS, CSS, etc. remain constant over an extended period, and there is no point in processing a full request using the server.
CDNs are distributed across the world, and the nearest CDN is in charge of providing the static resources to the requesting computer. You can use Max CDN service to deliver your website using CDN network.
7. Diagonalize Plugin Performance.
Many of us have a good number of plugins to choose from. Plugins add loading time to the website. For example, Jetpack is not so popular when it comes to consuming server performance and slowing down the site. To ensure that you pick out the bad plugin from the list, use P3(Plugin Performance Profiler) and use it to know which plugin is the culprit.
If you find a plugin slowing your website considerably down, it is a good time to change the plugin to an alternative. There are tons of alternative plugins available in WordPress official plugin repository.
8. Disable Trackbacks and Pingbacks
Even not that important for improving website loading time, disabling trackbacks and pingbacks can help improve website loading time a bit. Trackbacks are a manual link to the referring website whereas pingbacks are automatic in nature.
They do sound useful, but the feature is taken for a spin and is heavily used by spammers to create backlinks. That’s why disabling them can make your website load faster.
Conclusion
With all the major points for website optimization listed, it is now time to conclude the post. I hope the article is useful. If you did, don’t forget to share it with your friends!
Missing something? The comment section is all yours.
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