Performance is paramount. The way your website functions can either make or break the user experience. If load speeds drag on any longer than three seconds, expect a 53% user bounce rate. Even if they decide to stay, the average time spent on the website is a mere 53 seconds.
Then, there’s the matter of search rank. It’s not the only factor, but slower load speeds can do a real number on where a site shows up on search results, negatively impacting brand visibility, conversion rates, and more. Boosting those speeds is a strategic investment in the success and sustainability of your website and your business.
Website optimization will be the first order of business, but not everyone understands how to optimize a WordPress website to improve its performance. Let’s review some basics.
Unnecessary Code Optimization
To improve WordPress page speed optimization, some developers will try reinventing the wheel with some preexisting software features. That’s why it’s so important to review the WordPress Codex, a comprehensive resource provided by the WordPress community. It contains a wealth of information, guidelines, and best practices for developers, website owners, and the like.
It also helps you understand how to optimize a WordPress website with what’s already available in the software. For instance, built-in WordPress and PHP functions allow developers to interact with and manipulate various aspects of a WordPress site without negatively affecting overall site performance. Using the built-in functions also ensures your code is efficient, maintainable, and less error-prone, helping your site run smoothly and be more manageable over time.
Apart from that, the Codex informs you on how to best follow coding standards. Not doing so would challenge the readability of the codebase and could affect any plug-ins you’re using, thereby putting site performance into question.
Unoptimized Images
Images often take up a sizable portion of file size for a website, especially when you begin building your online hub without an understanding of how to optimize images for WordPress. Choosing the correct file format is a good start.
For photographs and images with lots of colors, JPEG is a viable choice. For graphics and more transparent images, PNG is often a better option. There’s also WebP, a modern format that provides high quality, smaller file sizes, and vector files, which are images that work well for logos or icons so they scale correctly.
Beyond file format, other methods for how to optimize images for WordPress include minimizing file sizes. Compress images to make it easier (and quicker) for servers to retrieve. WordPress performance optimization plug-ins should be up to the task.
Also, avoid uploading overly large images, and don’t forget to use content delivery networks. CDNs serve images from servers closer to website visitors, improving load speeds.
Missed Caching Opportunities
Caching is another crucial component of WordPress page speed optimization, and some argue the process is just as important as choosing the correct file size and format for images. Caching improves loading times, reduces server loads, and enhances scalability — all while using lower bandwidth in the process.
Much like image compression, WordPress performance optimization plug-ins play a significant role in the process and leverage different caching layers. Page caching, for example, stores a copy of a page as it appears to website visitors, allowing it to be served faster upon repeat visits.
Database caching, on the other hand, stores frequently queried data, which can lower data retrieval latency and improve overall performance. Other caching layers include “object,” which stores repeatedly used objects, and “browser,” which instructs visitors’ browsers to keep certain assets locally, such as CSS and JavaScript files.
Even after caching, however, it’s important to note that you’ll want to determine whether the hosting service is compatible with such a setup. Not all services will allow you to take full advantage of these plug-ins.
Though this should go without saying, a hosting provider specializing in WordPress performance optimization can provide a solid infrastructure for your site. You already know their servers are configured for the software, ensuring optimal performance. By and large, they also offer server-level caching solutions, provide enhanced security measures tailored for WordPress, and are better equipped to handle traffic surges.
Set It and Forget It
Many website owners use the set-it-and-forget-it approach to websites, leaving the site be once it’s done. This is not the best idea. Monitoring tools are available to track site performance and identify areas for improvement, including continuous updates on plug-ins and themes to guarantee security, enhance performance, and ensure compatibility.
Uptime monitoring, for one, alerts you if the site experiences downtime. You can then immediately rectify any issues and minimize disruptions for users and your business.
Error tracking, as one might expect, identifies and tracks errors so you can troubleshoot and correct issues before they become serious problems. Performance analysis provides insights into your site’s performance, including page load times, server response times, resource usage, and more.
Then, there’s traffic analysis, which offers information on visitor behavior. Should you see a pattern, you can make an informed decision on how to optimize the WordPress website to improve performance, taking into account the role of continuous updates.
WordPress Optimization Services at Ndevr
Sometimes, you need expert advice on how to best optimize a site. That’s where Ndevr’s WordPress optimization services come in handy. Our experts can tailor optimization strategies to the unique needs of your website and business, ensuring better site performance and moving you closer to your goals.
In case of technical issues or errors, our skilled team can quickly diagnose and resolve the problem, minimizing downtime and disruption. We’re also equipped to help handle the maintenance of your site based on the latest trends, updates, and best practices, and we can implement robust security measures to protect your site, business, and visitors.
Ndevr’s in-depth knowledge and experience ensure that your website loads faster and offers a seamless and engaging user experience, contributing to increased user satisfaction, retention, and conversion. If you’d like to learn more about our WordPress optimization services, please contact Ndevr today.
