How to Make Your WordPress Site Load Faster – The Ultimate Guide

WordPress is the world’s #1 content management system and the most popular platform for creating websites and blogs. Over 450 million websites are currently running on WordPress and the growth is expected to be over 300 million in 2021.

The most common question we get from readers is: how can I make my WordPress website load faster?

After reviewing dozens of WordPress performance metrics, we’ve determined that there are 10 distinct areas of focus to make your site load faster.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

1. Minimizing The Number Of Requests

One of the biggest performance killers on any website is the number of requests required to load the site. Every time someone visits your site, a request is sent to the server to load the page. This request takes time and if you have a lot of traffic, it can add up, causing a serious performance hit to your site.

The solution is simply to minimize the number of times people have to request your content. If you have a lot of traffic and your site is taking a while to load, then you might want to consider investigating ways to increase the speed at which people can find your content.

2. Cache Everything

Another big factor in how quick your site loads is how well it is cached by your users’ web browsers. When a visitor encounters a link to a page on your site, their browser will automatically look for that page in its cache first, before requesting it from the server. This feature makes your site fast because it prevents the user’s web browser from requesting the content from the server for a second time. This is especially useful for sites with a lot of content, because people are more likely to visit frequently-requested pages in their cache.

When you implement this strategy with a WordPress site, it’s often referred to as a content cache. For best results, install Google Analytics and Lookup Wizard on your site. These plugins will help you analyze the performance of your content and determine which pages are the most popular and which can be ignored, sparing you from putting time and effort into content that doesn’t perform well.

3. Use A Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A WordPress content delivery network (CDN) allows you to host all of your content on a high-performance server instead of on your own computer. Using a CDN also makes your site faster and more stable because your content is delivered to users from a remote location instead of being processed on your local machine. Your web host will most likely offer this service to you for free.

There are several great CDNs available to providers and customers, all of which offer the perfect content delivery experience.

4. Optimize For Mobile

If you are reading this on a mobile device, then you’re in luck because we have a special announcement to make. Most websites are designed with the desktop user in mind, but that doesn’t mean small screens aren’t capable of delivering a great experience. Thanks to the growing popularity of mobile devices, especially smartphones, all of which come with powerful processors and high-speed internet connections, mobile browsing has become a priority. If you want to make your site accessible to as many people as possible, then you should definitely consider optimizing for mobile.

Here are some quick tips to help you get started:

• Make Sure Your Website Is Responsive
• Make Sure Your Website Looks Good On Smalls Screens
• Minimize The Number Of Times Users Have To Click To Find Content
• Make Sure You Use The Right Fonts For The Right Feel
• Keep Text To A Minimum
• Consider An E-commerce Strategy

5. Use Schema

At the heart of every well-designed website is the schema HTML tag. This HTML tag prevents HTML elements from being treated as special characters and lets web browsers apply HTML-specific styles to the text within a given element. The schema HTML tag is vital for making sure your website looks the same across all platforms, including mobile devices. If you want to make your site more accessible to the general public, then it’s a good idea to learn more about schemas and how to use them.

6. Use Language With Consistent Tags

Language is one of the most vital parts of any website, especially when it comes to SEO. Choosing the right tags for the content you are optimizing for search engines is vital for the ranking of your content.

It is very common for the tag set of one language to be used across several categories and products, especially when using machine translation tools like Google Translate. While this translation tool is great for users and accessible to all, it can severely hurt your SEO if used incorrectly. One of the best things you can do for your SEO is to ensure your language is used consistently in your tags.

7. Minimize Redirects

When a user follows a link on your website, they should be taken to the URL they are provided with, rather than having their request for that content blocked by a redirect. When someone clicks on a link, their web browser should load the specified page without any complications.

Redirects cause unnecessary load times and can even decrease performance of your site, especially if they are implemented poorly. Since each redirect will cause another request to the server, it’s best to avoid them whenever possible.

8. Minimize JavaScript

JavaScript is a programming language that allows you to create interactive experiences for users on your site. While JavaScript is incredibly useful and allows for a variety of different interactions, all of these interactions use up additional server resources and slow down the performance of your site. In most cases, it’s better to use CSS to style your content instead of JavaScript. If you do need to use JavaScript, then make sure it is kept to a minimum and only used for essential interactions.

9. Use Secure Payments

Last but not least, we have the security of payments. Since most people are more hesitant to engage with businesses they don’t know or trust, implementing an additional layer of security via a secure payment processor is an excellent idea, especially if you are accepting payments from all over the world. It is also a good idea to look into the different options of secure payment processors and determine which one suits your needs the best.

With the right plugins and a little bit of know-how, anyone can run a successful WordPress website. However, making your site load faster than it is already takes a little bit of expertise. Keep the tips and suggestions in this guide in mind as you work towards making your site work harder and faster than ever before.