Never has the saying “speed kills” been more accurate than when it comes to websites. Visitors expect websites to load at the speed of light today and will navigate away if they take more than three seconds to load. Here are a few practical ways to optimize your WordPress site in 2023.
Limit HTTP requests
One of the leading causes of low WordPress website speed is multiple HTTP requests. Each visitor’s browser sends the server your site is running on a request for each page. To reduce the number of requests, you can use caching and do away with unnecessary plugins and themes.
Caching plugins keep copies of your posts and pages, so someone can retrieve them quickly as needed. This optimizes the site and makes it faster.
Use a CDN to improve performance
A content delivery network (CDN) is a distributed server system that delivers content depending on the user’s location. Your site loads much more quickly because visitors get your content from the CDN server nearest to them, which isn’t necessarily the one your site is running on.
What’s more, a CDN distributes traffic across numerous servers, which helps protect your site from cybercrimes. It’s a great way to improve the security and performance of your WordPress site.
Choose light, well-coded themes and plugins
Themes and plugins can add much-needed functionality but can also make your site hard to manage and increase loading time. Choose well-coded and light plugins and themes. Many of the WordPress themes and plugins available may have features you don’t need.
Speed and simplicity should be your priorities. Visitors are likely to come back to a fast and simple website.
Choose a hosting service carefully
When choosing WordPress hosting, look for a reliable and helpful provider that’s quick to react. Make sure they have the tools and features you need to manage your site efficiently.
Read reviews, ask people you know for recommendations, and look into the hosting company’s reputation before you make a commitment.
Adjust the caching limit
WordPress’s default object caching period is up to 30 seconds. You might have to increase it depending on how many people visit your site and how fast your server is.
If your traffic has seen a permanent increase, the limit might need to be raised to one minute or more. At the same time, remember that object caching can impact the site’s loading speed. Check whether your WordPress site can handle the extra load before you extend the caching period.
Set up AMP for your site’s mobile version
One doesn’t want to harp on mobile use optimization, but the fact is that more and more people are using their mobile devices to go online. Optimizing your website for mobile users has become more crucial than ever.
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) are one way to go about this. AMPs are based on cutting-edge technology that makes it possible for web pages to load on mobile really fast. AMPs also use less data than ordinary pages, which makes them lightweight.
AMPs are perfect for people who are on the go and might be unable to access Wi-Fi. You can use WordPress plugins and other tools to implement AMP.
Speed up your website using CloudFlare
Last but not least, this WordPress plugin can optimize your site for speed and improve its performance in general. Your site will become faster because the plugin will cache static content, delivering it more efficiently.
CloudFlare can help minimize the size of your JavaScript, HTML, and CSS files as well. This will ensure a better user experience.
Conclusion
To stay abreast of niche developments and beat your competitors, you need to make sure your WordPress site loads as fast as possible. Everyone benefits from happy and engaged visitors, no matter their market. By following the tips in this guide, you can guarantee optimal speed for your site throughout and beyond 2023.
