Congratulations! You are now a proud WordPress website owner!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have found the right hosting provider<\/a>, done some website customization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n We imagine you\u2019ve changed Site Title<\/em> and Tagline<\/em>, edited the URL structure, added some widgets, plugins, and images, played with typography, changed a menu style, added a few posts… you\u2019ve done all the steps that will make sure that your WordPress website is up and running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, just a month or two later, your site simply doesn\u2019t run as well as you expected it to. It\u2019s starting to lose its grip and performance feels a bit sluggish<\/strong>. Besides the fact that it probably annoys the hell out of you, you need to be aware of the fact that having a slow website can do a lot of damage to your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, your visitors won\u2019t even bother to wait for your site to load. That\u2019s right! Did you know that 47% of people expect a website to load in less than 2 seconds<\/a>? If it doesn\u2019t, they just bounce off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, if search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo) start to notice that users are continually bouncing off your website, they will mark your site as the one that doesn\u2019t provide any value to the visitors. How are they going to do so? By ranking your website lower<\/strong>. We are pretty sure you don\u2019t want to face that kind of punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, to make sure you have a website that runs like the Speedy Gonzales, our developers, TK knights, Sinisa and Djordje<\/strong> have volunteered to give you some tips and tricks on how you can speed up a WordPress site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sinisa<\/strong> is a knight on a white charger and one of TK founders. When he is not multitasking and coding all the evil away, both front-end and back-end, he is designing and channeling Kobe and LeBron on the basketball field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Djordje<\/strong> is a TK developer in shiny armor that has over 5 years of experience in WordPress. If you need to implement, install something or fasten a WP site, he\u2019s the one you call. Djordje is known as the jokester with an exquisite food taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you will have a chance to read, we started off with the tips you can use quickly and moved on to the more challenging and time-consuming ones. Disclaimer: Themes Kingdom team is not affiliated with any of the mentioned plugins nor do we earn a commission if you end up purchasing any of the tools through referral links in this blog post. We merely wanted to name some services that can help you speed up a WordPress site.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, theme design you like the most and goes well with your sense of aesthetics can end up being the worst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are in the process of choosing the right WordPress theme<\/a>, Sinisa\u2019s advice is to remember that a well-designed theme doesn\u2019t necessarily mean a well-coded theme<\/strong>. Since you cannot know for sure whether a theme is well-coded or not, a tip to keep in mind is to opt for a minimalistic theme, that is lightweight and not so feature-filled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If, however, you are experiencing trouble with the theme you are currently using, it might be the time to ask a professional to check the theme\u2019s code<\/strong> and. A developer can tell you if the code can affect your inability to speed up a WordPress site or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you were searching for the right hosting provider, you came across different types of hosting services. Since shared hosting is the most cost-effective option, we are going to assume you picked this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you might know, shared hosting <\/strong>is the type of web hosting service in which you share a server with other websites. The main issue with this hosting service is that other sites on the server that can affect your website\u2019s performance. If this is something you are struggling with, it might be a good idea to switch to another service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help you transition to another hosting provider and speed up a WordPress site, we asked Djordje to give you a couple of tips. Djordje mentioned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are thinking about transitioning to another hosting provider, the best option would be to choose managed WordPress hosting. By doing so, you\u2019ll get the support you need, high-performance website and automatic backups. If you are worried about the costs, don\u2019t be \u4e00 there are multiple plans you can choose from, starting from $25 and up. I would recommend you check WPEngine<\/a>, Getflywheel.com<\/a> and Bonus tip: In case you are thinking about switching to a dedicated server, Djordje\u2019s advice is not to pay for this service just yet since you probably don\u2019t have a massive website that needs its own server to run smoothly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It goes without saying that if you want your site to perform well, you need to make sure you do all that is in your power to make it less prone to security vulnerabilities. According to Sinisa, this is one of the most overlooked tips but can do wonders for improving a website\u2019s performance<\/strong>. At first sight, this option is excellent for tracking your site\u2019s traffic but it\u2019s not so great for your site\u2019s performance. If you want to speed up a WordPress site, be sure to turn off this option. As Sinisa mentioned, don\u2019t be afraid to disable pingbacks<\/strong> as this step cannot affect your traffic nor can it destroy backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image sizes have a significant effect on your site\u2019s speed. That is why it is always wise to make the pictures smaller (without affecting the quality).<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, how low can you go with the image size, you may ask? Well, the first thing to remember is that you should keep the image size below 70kb<\/strong>. The second is to use JPEG, GIF, or PNG as a file type. You can resize images in just a few easy steps using free online tools like PIXLR<\/a> or Canva<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, if you have multiple images on your website, the good news is that you don\u2019t have to do this step all by yourself \u4e00 there is a WordPress plugin<\/strong> that can help you, Smush Image Compression and Optimization<\/a>. This tool is fantastic because it can optimize up to 50 images with no hassle (even the ones that are not located in the media library) and allows you to detect the images that are slowing down your website quickly. It\u2019s as simple as that! This is one of Djordje\u2019s tips. When it comes to monitoring, Djordje suggested:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monitoring a website should be an ongoing process if you want to keep a high-performance site. By using a monitoring tool, you are making sure all the site\u2019s functionality are on point, which leads to having more satisfied website visitors.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n When we asked him which parameters a site owner should monitor, Djordje mentioned that you should be looking out for page speed (obviously!), uptime and downtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Page speed<\/strong> is the speed of a sample of page views on a site. As Moz.com<\/a> suggests, a page speed consists of page load time (which is the time it takes for a website to display content on a page) and time to first byte (which is the time that passes until a browser receives the first byte of information from the web server). Both of these can be evaluated by using Google’s PageSpeed Insights<\/a> tool, or you can use third-party tools like GTmetrix<\/a> or Pingdom<\/a>. The recommended page load is under three seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uptime<\/strong> is a period in which visitors can reach your website. A norm good hosting providers offer is to have an uptime of at least up 99% of the time. Vice versa, downtime is a period in which users can\u2019t reach your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily for you, there are thousands of tools and plugins that promise to monitor your WordPress site. In the sea of all of these tools, Djordje\u2019s advice is to check the two leaders in this field to speed up a WordPress site \u4e00 Jetpack<\/a> and Manage WP<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jetpack<\/strong> is a freemium plugin that offers customization services, takes care of the marketing and performance issues (site analytics, SEO tools, scheduling social media posts, etc.) and protects your site by offering features like uptime monitoring, daily back-ups and malware scanning. It is, by far, the most trustworthy plugin for design, marketing, and performance for a WordPress website. No wonder it has over 5 million downloads!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve checked our WordPress themes<\/a>, then you know that all of them are Jetpack optimized.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Manage WP<\/strong> offers the same options as Jetpack. Some of the features are free, for some of them you need to pay for. If you want to check what Manage WP offers be sure to read the features list<\/a> first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is one of Djordje\u2019s tips he wanted to make sure you keep an eye on if you\u2019re going to speed up a WordPress site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Djordje mentioned, if you are a fan of blog posts filled with images and videos, then lazy loading is the perfect option for you. As the name suggests, lazy loading is the process of loading only the images and videos that are currently visible on the screen<\/strong>. The rest of the content is replaced with a placeholder image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this step, Djordje recommended you try the Lazy Load option that is built in the WP Rocket<\/a> plugin. This option works on all images, as well as thumbnails, avatars, smilies, and If you want to speed up a WordPress site, it is imperative your clear page cache often. By now, you are probably thinking How could this be a problem?<\/em> Well, imagine the following situation: if you made some changes on a website and users kept the files in a browser has cached, they won\u2019t be able to see those changes<\/strong>. Clearing the cache in a browser is a good option, but you also need to do it on your website. Some of the plugins you can use to perform this step are WP Super Cache<\/a>, WP Fastest Cache<\/a>, and W3 Total Cache<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is another tip from our knight in shiny armor, Djordje.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Djordje explained, a content delivery network (CDN) is the one option that will allow all your users to download the files from your website fast<\/em><\/strong>. The way Having a CDN can speed up a WordPress site by reducing latency and keeping spammers away from your server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phew! Let\u2019s take a break for a moment. The first eight tips were the quick ones that didn\u2019t require making changes in theme code. Now, let\u2019s move onto the more challenging ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you might know, WordPress runs on PHP, the programming language. Knowing that it is completely understandable why you need to update the PHP version if you want to speed up a WordPress site. Well, to find out this information, all you need to do is log in to the hosting backend. Initially, the hosting provider should notify you<\/strong> when the new version is released. However, we would advise you to check periodically. If you are not willing to dive into the backend side of the hosting service, get help from a professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from updating the programming language WordPress is built on, you also need to update the WordPress itself and all of the plugins you use. Updating WP is going to make sure the website runs smooth. It will take care of bug fixes, security vulnerabilities and take care of some additional mishaps. To update WP and plugins, click on the button \u201cUpdate Now\u201d<\/strong> in your Dashboard panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being a backend developer, Sinisa wanted to emphasize the importance of keeping a database clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your site\u2019s database stores an infinite amounts of website data. All the data you can imagine. Because there is so much data to save<\/strong>, a database can quickly get clogged up with the information you don\u2019t even need, like uninstalled plugins data, post revisions, spam comments.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Bonus knowledge: Post revisions are the data WordPress creates every time you add a new post or a page. If you revised a post, let\u2019s say 8 times, you might end up having 7 copies which represent those post revisions. This post revisions data has no purpose<\/strong> and can make the database bloated, which leads to poor website performance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily, you don\u2019t have to go through the database and delete the unnecessary data manually. Sinisa suggested you use WP-Optimize<\/a> or Advanced Database Cleaner<\/a> plugin to help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WP-Optimize<\/strong> is the most popular tool for removing unnecessary data which will speed up a WordPress site instantly. It allows you to perform automatic weekly clean-ups, as well as show your database stats and potential savings. Last time I checked, the plugin had over 800,000 installations which just goes to show how reliable this plugin is.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The second one, Advanced Database Cleaner, does the same thing as the previous one \u4e00 reduces your database size so you can speed up a WordPress site. The two things Sinisa highly appreciates are the option to schedule database optimization to run automatically and the fact that it supports the multisite installation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what steps you should take to reduce the number of requests? You can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every time a user is trying to view your website, a browser connects to your server <\/strong>and asks to get access to a particular file. That is how a server request is marked in your database. The only issue is the more server requests your site gets, the more it will take to load. That is why we highly recommended you lower the number of server requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a piece of cake!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bonus tip: The previously mentioned plugins, Jetpack and Manage WP, can reduce the numbers for you and offer a list of server requests and the time they take to complete.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember when we mentioned in the first tip that it is essential to choose a well-coded theme? Well, even if your theme does not contain a simple, readable code, you can turn this around. When Sinisa mentioned this tip, we asked him whether this means that developers are not careful with how they write theme code. He smirked and suggested that it can be the case but, more commonly, the issue occurs when developers use comments and spacing to make the code more readable<\/strong> for other developers. If the comments and the spacing aren\u2019t removed, it can affect the site\u2019s performance. To stop this from happening, you need to eliminate the extra code and reduce file sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, Sinisa mentioned that if you are not an inspiring developer-to-be or an undiscovered coding genius, it might be a good idea to leave this step to a professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another tip Sinisa mentioned is to choose the NGINX server over the Apache one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you are not too familiar with servers or are not tech-savvy, you have probably heard about Apache. This server was a true king among all the other web servers, serving up to 60% of all websites. However, times have changed. As Plesk.com suggests, nowadays, 46% of users around the world use Apache, while NGINX comes in second place with 24% of users. As Sinisa mentioned, the NGINX server is a much better option for static content<\/strong> because it offers advanced hosting features (reverse proxying for non-HTTP protocols and media streaming). NGINX can handle dynamic content, as well. So, if you are planning on having a lot of static or streaming media and high traffic, opt for an NGINX. If, however, you are looking for a shared hosting Apache is the right choice for you.A slow website is not a joke.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Without further ado, let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip 1: Check your theme\u2019s code<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip 2: Check again your hosting provider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
SiteGround<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nTip 3: Keep your site secure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you are not sure which steps you should take to stop attacks and malicious intent, be sure to read our post in which we listed 15 quick WordPress security tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip 4: Say NO to Pingbacks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pingbacks are features that help your WordPress blog communicate and interact with other WP blogs. As it is mentioned on WPBeginner.com<\/a>, a pingback is a comment that\u2019s created when you link to another blog post where pingbacks are enabled.
Bonus knowledge: A trackback does the same thing as a pingback, but this time, you are notifying all the other blogs that you\u2019ve linked to them. If you link to a WordPress blog, they\u2019ll be informed automatically using pingbacks.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nTip 5: Resize and optimize images<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Bonus tip: If you want to speed up a WordPress site, never link an image to another website<\/strong> when wishing to display it on yours. Instead, be sure to download the image, upload it to your media library and then to your website. By doing these steps, your server won\u2019t have to reach to other sites\u2019 domains to show your website\u2019s content. Keep in mind that if you are not the author of the images you provided on your pages, you need to name the source.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nTip 6: Monitor your website<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Page Speed, uptime and downtime<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tip 7: Consider adding lazy load feature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip 8: Clear page cache often<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As you might know, a website consists of thousands of files. When users are trying to reach your site, a server loads those files and displays them as content in the browser. Browsers, then, attempt to speed up the loading process. The first time a user visits a site, the browser saves site data<\/strong> and store it in the cache, so the next time that user visits, cached files are displayed and that is how page load time is decreased.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip 9: Use a Content Delivery Network<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nTip 10: To speed up a WordPress site, be sure to update PHP, WordPress, and plugins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There is just one question that needs to be answered: how can you tell your PHP is up-to-date or not?<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip 11: Keep an eye on the database<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip 12: Lower the number of server requests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip 13: Do the HTML, CSS and JS minification to speed up a WordPress site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
According to Sinisa, one of the tricks you can do to speed up a WordPress site is to pay attention to the size of your page resources<\/strong>. Optimizing images and doing the gzip file compression isn\u2019t going to cut it. That is why you should dig a bit deeper, in the code itself and remove all redundant information. The goal is to get a more polished code.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip 14: Choose the NGINX server instead of an Apache one<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Bonus knowledge: Apache is used for shared hosting, while NGINX users are a fan of VPS and dedicated hosting.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are interested in finding out more about the difference between these two and how using them can speed up a WordPress site, be sure to read the post on Digitalocean.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip 15: The best plugin to speed up a WordPress site is\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n