Optimizing WordPress Site Speed And Performance

Identifying Speed Bottlenecks

Assessing a WordPress site’s speed performance is a crucial first step toward optimization. There are various tools available to test a site’s load times and uncover specific issues impacting performance:

• PageSpeed Insights – Provides load speed data and suggests optimization improvements
• Pingdom – Performs load tests from multiple geographic locations
• WebPageTest – Provides visual filmstrips to analyze rendering

These tools measure vital web performance metrics like Time to First Byte (TTFB) and First Contentful Paint (FCP). TTFB refers to the time taken for the server to respond with the first byte of page content. FCP measures when the first bit of content renders. The target for FCP is under 1.8 seconds. Optimizing to reach these goals improves user experience.

In addition to page load tests, examine the specific resource requests made for each page. Images, JavaScript files, and web fonts can significantly slow things down. Analyze the HTML header for CSS and JS links that can be deferred or cached. Large, unoptimized images also bottleneck request speed.

The WordPress database stores all site content and settings. Excessively large databases lead to poor response times. Use a plugin like WP-Optimize to clean, compress and defragment tables. Proper database optimization is key for peak WordPress performance.

Improving Server Performance

The hosting infrastructure supporting a WordPress site has a major influence on speed and performance. Optimizations should start with an examination of the current hosting setup before considering other improvements.

Upgrading to a managed WordPress hosting plan with enhanced server resources often yields significant speed gains. Adding vCPU cores, RAM and SSD storage alleviates load constraints during traffic spikes. Managed WordPress hosts fine-tune server settings specifically for optimum WordPress performance.

Caching is another impactful server-side optimization. Enable a persistent caching plugin like WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache to store rendered web pages in memory. This allows pages to load instantly on repeat visits instead of dynamically building each time. Appropriately implementing cache invalidation rules prevents serving outdated content.

Using a content delivery network (CDN) offloads static file delivery away from the main application servers. CDNs have edge locations worldwide for faster content distribution geographically. Typically image assets, JS and CSS files are served from CDN which also helps minimize server load.

Optimizing Images

Images often account for most of a web page’s transferred payload, yet displaying them visually is not the priority. Optimizations here can dramatically improve load efficiency:

• WebP images use up to 25% less file size with no perceptible quality loss
• Lazy loading defers offscreen images until user scrolls them into view
• Setting width + height attributes prevents page reflows as images load in

Compressing images should balance visual fidelity and file size. TinyPNG and Kraken.io use smart lossy optimization for impressive reductions. ImageMagick offers fine control over compression parameters.

Lazy loading plugins like BJ Lazy Load delay loading image files until they become visible in the viewport. Page load is faster since non-critical visuals are not requested upfront. This prevents wasting bandwidth on images which may never even display during a user’s session.

Properly specifying image dimensions via width + height attributes is important for page rendering. Without them, browser reflows happen as image files download changing page layout. Set these values matching the true image size to mitigate unwanted reflows.

Minifying Code

Reducing the payload size of text-based code files boosts site performance. Cleaning unnecessary whitespace, comments and shorthanding improves response times and bandwidth usage:

• HTML/CSS/JS minification
• Leveraging cache headers for static assets

Minification strips out unneeded characters decreasing file size prior to transmission. HTML minifiers remove comments, white space and optional end tags. CSS/JS minifiers also simplify code syntax and variables to reduce KB size.

Configuring server cache headers allows browsers to cache static files locally avoiding unnecessary re-downloads. Set future expiration times along with entity tags. Alter asset file names when changes occur to prompt cache invalidation. Appropriate caching directives improve speed.

Reducing Server Requests

Fewer HTTP requests to load a web page means faster load completion. There are various ways to streamline requests for better efficiency:

• Concatenate JS/CSS files
• Remove unnecessary plugins
• Deferred non-critical JavaScript

Using code concatenation combines assets files together minimizing requests. Plugin options like Autoptimize aggregate JS and CSS applying minification and compression too. HTTP/2 multiplexing eases request limits but explicitly optimizing remains beneficial.

Review enabled plugins and deactivate those not in use. Plugins load extra code impacting load times and memory usage. Eliminate resource-intensive plugins with minimal functional benefit. Disable features unused in themes and plugins to improve efficiency.

Defer loading JavaScript not immediately required when pages start loading. Prioritize code that needs to run earlier in page render. Deferred JS loads late after more important content displays. This prevents them from blocking visual progress early on.

Monitoring Performance

Continuously monitoring analytics dashboards provides visibility into WordPress site performance. Key metrics to track include:

• Page load times
• Visitor bounce rates
• Conversion funnel fall-off

Page load KPIs reflect both user experience and business outcomes. Faster sites convert better with improved engagement over time. Warning thresholds help catch sudden deteriorations needing investigation.

Periodically retest page speed using consistent parameters and tools. New performance regressions sometimes slip in from theme/plugin changes. Proactively catching these prevents prolonged issues frustrating visitors.

Optimization is an iterative process as new code deploys and visitor usage patterns evolve. Dedicate regular time to reviewing reports, assessing new opportunities and addressing recent speed declines. Keep improving WordPress speed and performance over time.