Improving WordPress Loading Speed
If your WordPress site is suffering from slow loading speeds, you’ve come to the right place. At Climb & Conquer, we specialise in boosting website performance. On this page, we’ll guide you through our approach to optimising loading speed, from server performance enhancements to front-end code streamlining. Explore practical tips and expert strategies to create a faster, more efficient WordPress site.
When it comes to loading speed, WordPress site owners have access to a range of tools to optimise performance. Unfortunately, these tools are often underutilised, leading to slow-loading websites that negatively impact user experience, search engine rankings, and revenue.
At Climb & Conquer, we take a unique approach to improving WordPress speed. Rather than relying on generic fixes, we tailor our strategies to the specific needs of each site. While every site has its own nuances and challenges, our methodology provides a strong foundation for success.
We work with a downstream and upstream mindset. This means starting with upstream factors that affect the entire site to create a solid performance base. From there, we move downstream, conducting detailed page-by-page assessments to implement precise improvements.
Let’s begin by focusing on server optimisation.
Improving Server Performance for WordPress
WordPress Database Handling
At Climb & Conquer, we often recommend using MariaDB over MySQL for WordPress sites, as it can offer marginal performance gains, especially for larger databases. For sites pushing WordPress to its limits in terms of database size, setting up read and write servers is an effective way to manage load and optimise performance.
Equally important is ensuring your PHP version is up to date. Running the latest stable version and validating code compatibility can significantly improve page performance and the overall user experience.
Hosting Provider
Your hosting provider plays a critical role in site performance. Opting for dedicated WordPress hosting often provides better hardware, such as top-tier SSDs, ample RAM, and exclusive WordPress-specific features like direct admin links. These enhancements ensure your site runs efficiently and can handle high traffic demands.
Server Cron Jobs & Backups
Cron jobs and backups can impact server performance if not managed correctly. Resource-heavy Cron jobs can slow a website down for extended periods, often during peak hours. Similarly, backups should ideally be conducted during off-peak times or offloaded to avoid consuming valuable server resources.
For large eCommerce sites requiring frequent backups (e.g., every 15–30 minutes), it’s essential to assess their impact on server resources and bandwidth. A well-optimised backup schedule can make all the difference in maintaining site speed.
Additional Server Efficiencies
- To ensure maximum server performance, we always check for:
Compression: Ensuring compression (like Gzip or Brotli) is active for faster data transfer. - DNS Lookup Time: Investigating delays caused by your server, domain registrar, or DNS provider to optimise response times.
By addressing these server-side factors, we help ensure your WordPress site is built on a solid foundation for speed and efficiency.
Validating Your WordPress Site for Optimal Performance
Ensuring your WordPress site is performing at its best often starts with validating key elements like themes, plugins, and overall setup. Here’s how we approach this at Climb & Conquer to optimise loading speed and maintain a robust site.
1. Assessing Your Theme
The theme is foundational to your entire site, so it’s the first place we examine. Common issues include:
• Expired support or updates.
• Outdated theme files.
• Hard-coded assets (e.g., WooCommerce) that are no longer compatible.
Keeping your theme up to date not only improves site performance but often enables upgrades to the latest PHP version, which significantly impacts loading speeds. If managing this feels overwhelming, a developer can ensure your theme is current and compatible.
2. Ensuring Plugin Integrity
Plugins play a significant role in loading speed. For older WordPress sites, legacy plugins may cause issues such as:
- Being outdated or no longer supported.
- Adding unnecessary strain to your database and front-end performance.
We recommend auditing your plugins regularly to:
- Identify unused or redundant plugins and deactivate them.
- Migrate unnecessary plugins to deletion to maintain a lean plugin setup.
Reducing the number of plugins not only streamlines your site but also improves loading speeds.
3. Adopting a Lightweight Setup
A lightweight site is often overlooked but is critical for optimal performance. This means using only the minimum amount of third-party code necessary to achieve your functionality.
For example:
• For simple lead generation sites, avoid overloading with plugins—use a clean theme and a basic contact plugin instead.
• If you already have backups and a CDN in place, tools like WordFence may be unnecessary and could cause strain on your site.
4. Keeping Everything Updated
Regular updates are crucial for both performance and security:
• Update themes, plugins, and WordPress core files whenever possible.
• Use a staging site to test updates and ensure everything functions as intended before deploying changes to your live site.
Failing to update can lead to vulnerabilities and slow loading speeds, especially if the site is no longer actively managed by a developer. This is a common scenario when a developer parts ways with a client, and the client continues to use the site without proper upkeep. While this may work in the short term, it poses significant risks over time.
At Climb & Conquer, we help WordPress site owners validate and optimise their sites to ensure fast loading speeds, enhanced security, and long-term performance. Whether it’s auditing themes and plugins or implementing a lean setup, we’re here to help your site perform at its best.
Serving Your WordPress Site as Quickly as Possible
Optimising your WordPress site for speed often begins with streamlining front-end code. This can be approached on a page-by-page basis or through grouped enhancements, such as page caching. Caching allows the code to render once and then serve a cached version, resulting in a much faster experience for visitors.
At Climb & Conquer, we consider caching part of good SEO housekeeping or “loading speed hygiene.” Other essential elements include:
• Using WebP formats for images.
• Correctly sizing images to fit your design.
• Minimising the number of assets loaded on each page.
For a deeper understanding of the SEO benefits of loading speed, regardless of platform, we also provide tailored fixes for common loading speed issues.
Tools for Measuring and Improving Speed
To evaluate and enhance your site’s performance, we recommend:
• Google PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse: These tools provide detailed scores and actionable tips for improving loading speed at a page-specific level.
• SEO Crawling Tools: Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Sitebulb can uncover specific issues, such as:
• Missing or improperly linked images.
• Unminified CSS/JavaScript resources.
• Redirection chains that slow down loading times.
Always aim to install only essential plugins and streamline all assets on your site. Regularly checking your loading speed ensures you catch and resolve issues promptly.
Monitoring Through Google Search Console
Google Search Console provides indirect but valuable insights into loading speed. Navigate to Settings > Crawl Information to view the average time Google spends downloading resources. Significant changes in this metric can often be traced back to recent site or hosting changes. Staying vigilant about these metrics ensures your site continues to perform optimally.
Additional Resources
For a comprehensive guide to optimising WordPress performance, including hosting tips and URL structure best practices, check out our SEO Tips for WordPress guide. It’s a must-read for WordPress site managers looking to maximise their site’s potential without requiring extensive development work.
At Climb & Conquer, we’re here to help you turn WordPress into a fast, efficient platform that delivers results. Get in touch to learn more about how we can optimise your site for speed and performance.