How to Speed Up WordPress Hosting – 2018 Speed Test
In today’s world, everyone is busy. Life gets busy, work gets busy, and even when you’re not doing anything, you still have something to do. If you’re not careful, it can leave you overwhelmed and stress-free. We’re not saying you have to be stressed about everything, but you should feel like you have some control over what you’re doing in life. When that happens, you’ll be more relaxed and happy which usually leads to better performing at work and in life.
If you’re looking for a way to speed up WordPress hosting and lower your costs, you’ve come to the right place. We will teach you the exact steps you need to take to achieve super-fast load times and lower your bills. These steps will make managing a WordPress site much easier and more enjoyable. Let’s get started.
Step 1: Choose the Right Hosting Plan
The first and most vital step to a faster WordPress hosting experience is selecting the right hosting plan. Different hosting companies specialize in providing different levels of service and security so you’ll want to select a package that meets your needs. For example, do you need shared hosting, VPS hosting, or a dedicated server?
Shared hosting is ideal if you’re just starting out. It’s inexpensive and easy to use. However, it is shared between many other sites which can sometimes cause problems. If you’re looking for a free host, shared hosting is a great choice. You’ll most likely want to avoid this type of hosting if you’re looking for any kind of reliability.
If you’re looking for more control over your hosting experience and want to avoid surprises, VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is the way to go. A virtual private server is a special type of shared hosting where the provider takes care of making your site look like it’s running on a dedicated server. This type of hosting is more expensive than shared hosting but gives you additional features. Additionally, with VPS hosting, you have the option to install WordPress on a Linux operating system which is a great choice if you’re looking for increased security and speed. You’ll find a number of reputable hosting companies that offer virtual private servers so you should have no trouble finding a plan that fits your needs.
Step 2: Install WordPress
After you’ve selected your hosting plan, the next step is to install WordPress. There are many reputable companies out there that offer fantastic value and support with WordPress installation so do your research before making a purchase. When you purchase WordPress, you’ll have to activate it which is a simple matter of visiting the site and clicking on the button that says “Activate WordPress” once you log in.
Once activated, you’ll be able to access the WordPress dashboard. From here, you can easily manage your site’s content, perform backups, and configure settings. If you’ve ever used Microsoft Word or Google Docs, the WordPress dashboard will feel very familiar to you because it’s basically a clone of those apps. Due to its ease of use and familiarity, many users find the WordPress dashboard to be the most preferred option for configuration when switching over from a standard blogging platform to WordPress. Therefore, if you’re new to WordPress or need a little help, the WordPress dashboard is the place you want to be.
Step 3: Configure Your Database
If you’ve ever worked with SQL (Structured Query Language), you’ll have no trouble configuring your database. When you initially install WordPress, you’ll be provided with a predefined database called “wp_demo” that comes with it. This is perfect if you are looking for a quick and easy setup because all you need to do is connect to the database and give it a name of your choosing. You can find detailed information on how to do this at
- https://codex.wordpress.org/Database_Usage
- https://support.google.com/blogger/topic/350047
- https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/20399898-How-to-connect-to-a-MySQL-database-using-PHP-MyAdmin
- https://www.digitalocean.com/?p=1231
- https://docs.oracle.com/database/ODP.NET/sql-data-access-using-oedb/using-oedb-to-access-an-oracle-database-11i
Step 4: Install a caching plugin
A caching plugin will drastically speed up your site’s load time by compressing and storing previously-requested webpages on your server. There are many reputable caching plugins available for WordPress. You’ll most likely want to use a caching plugin with your VPS hosting because it will make your site much faster. Caching plugins are typically installed via WordPress’ dashboard and can be accessed via the Tools menu on the site’s menu bar.
There are several benefits to having a caching plugin installed on your site. First, your visitors will enjoy the speed benefits which makes you more likely to convince them to return. Additionally, caching plugins can greatly reduce your server’s workload by storing frequently-requested content which also makes your site faster. Last but not least, caching plugins prevent major 404 errors (Page cannot be found) because when visitors land on a page that doesn’t exist, they’ll see something different than what they were looking for.
Step 5: Choose the Right Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Now that you’ve got WordPress and its database configured, it’s time to choose the right content delivery network (CDN). A content delivery network is a service that caches and delivers content to visitors which significantly reduces your site’s load time. CDNs are vital for keeping your website up to date and relevant which makes your visitors more engaged and helps retain them as customers.
There are two types of CDNs: public and private. A public CDN is one which anyone can use and is usually cheaper than purchasing a private CDN. Private CDNs are accessible by only those who pay for them which gives you increased security and reliability. For increased speed, you’ll want to go with either a public or private CDN.
Step 6: Integrate Google Analytics
There is no step 5 but we’ve got to have analytics. Analytics will give you a complete understanding of what’s working and what’s not on your site. Since we’re on the subject of speed, it’s important to note that having a fast load time doesn’t mean that your site will be perfect. In fact, it can mean the opposite. A perfect site is usually the result of constant load testing and optimization because when users have a bad experience, they’ll often leave and not come back. Having a fast load time means that you’ll know immediately when something goes wrong on your site and can fix it before a huge chunk of your audience becomes disheartened by the poor experience.
Step 7: Use Browser Caching
Browser caching is a great way to further reduce your site’s load time. When a browser requests a page, it will request the same page again from your server if it detects that the content is the same. This is a great way to ensure that your site will always load quickly since you’ll cut out the extra load time which is spent transmitting the content over the internet many times. Your visitors will thank you for making their experience better by cutting down on page load times which means more time to enjoy your content.
Step 8: Use Domain Shaming
Domain shaming is a way of branding or promoting your website that makes searches easier for your target audience. When someone types in a search term on a search engine like Google, they’ll often see several results about the topic which they’re searching for. If your homepage and all your internal pages have the same name, it’ll be difficult for users to determine what’s actual content and what’s just marketing material. Using domain names that are relevant to your content will make it much easier for users to find what they’re looking for.