We’re all used to having what we want exactly when we want it. We live in an age of convenience, where everything we need is right in reach.
Unfortunately, this means we’ve become impatient. Because we’re no longer used to waiting, we expect everything to appear right when we want it. This is especially true when it comes to the internet.
When a page doesn’t load fast enough, it can push visitors away extremely quickly. Even if it only takes a few seconds for your site to appear, visitors may move on to a competitor.
Many website owners make the mistake of assuming their site is fast to load. However, if you frequently view your own page, it will be faster to load on your browser. It may actually be incredibly slow to your other visitors.
Having a slow site can hurt your engagement rates and bounce rates, and overall damage your SEO. You need to keep up your WordPress site speed to attract more leads and convert more clients.
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How to Improve Your WordPress Site Speed and Performance
You don’t need to pay a developer to completely overhaul your site to improve your WordPress site speed. Here are several quick fixes you can implement to radically improve the speed of your site.
1. Find Your WordPress Site Speed
To get started, you want to find your current WordPress site speed. This lets you see exactly where you’re starting out so you can measure improvements.
There are a number of tools that help you analyze the speed of your site. One of the most popular tools is Google Speed Insights. Because the tool is from Google Developers, you know you’re getting an accurate read. (However, it’s important to note that the issues Google tells you to fix sometimes can’t actually be fixed as they’re due to your website theme and/or plugins.)
To use Google Speed Insights, all you need to do is enter your page URL. You’re then given a speed for both the mobile and desktop version of your site.
You can also test your WordPress site speed using Pingdom or GTMetrix. Both offer a similar experience to Google Speed Insights.
You want your page load time to be under 2 seconds. Anything above this is considered too slow for your audience. If you’re at 2 seconds or below, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re off the hook — any improvements can help!
2. Compress Your Images
Images that are too large can seriously slow down your website. When a large image needs to load for your page to be complete, it can become frustrating for your audience. This is especially true when the images don’t need to be that large.
While you want the quality of your images to be high, they should also be compressed so they’re easier to pull up. When your images are compressed correctly, their quality won’t decrease.
You can add a plugin to your site to compress your images and increase your site speed. One of the best tools out there is EWWW. The EWWW Image Optimizer automatically optimizes any images uploaded to your Media Library, making it easy for you to compress images without any extra work.
Bonus: If you’re an Automation Agency client, we can install the EWWW plugin on your site at no charge, using our premium license.
3. Install a Caching Plugin
A caching plugin works a bit like a copy-and-paste function. Rather than loading your site from scratch every time a visitor comes to your page, a caching plugin makes a copy of your content that is then displayed back to a user.
Because the system doesn’t need to find and compile all your information multiple times, it can increase your Wordpress site speed up to 5x faster. This kind of drastic improvement can significantly increase the amount of time your visitors spend engaging with your content.
WP Rocket is a great premium caching plugin available for WordPress users. If you’re looking for a free option, WP Super Cache can give you all the tools you need.
However, if you’re already using a managed WordPress hosting provider, you don’t need to add a caching plugin yourself. This is already provided for you.
4. Change Your WordPress Host
If your site speed is crawling, changing your WordPress host is often one of the best things you can do to improve performance.
If you’re a Concierge Member, Automation Agency can host your site on our Speed & Security Optimized WordPress servers at no additional cost – it’s included in your membership.
Alternatively, you can look at hosts like WPEngine or Siteground, two of the highest-rated hosting services in the WordPress community. Both are known for quick site speeds and top-notch support, another must-have when it comes to hosting.
5. Update Your WordPress Version
Your website may be running slow if you’re not operating the latest WordPress version. If that’s the case, this fix can bring your website up to date and dramatically improve your site’s load time.
You should receive an alert each time there is a WordPress update. While you can simply click this message in your WordPress Admin Screen to download the latest version, it’s risky if not done correctly. Proper research and planning should be done to minimize site breakage and conflicts.
If you are a Concierge Member you don’t have to worry about keeping your website updated. Our security team proactively takes care of all your plugin and WordPress updates related to performance and security.
6. Embed Videos – Don’t Host Them
Videos are a great way to engage your audience. However, if you’re hosting them on your WordPress site, this can slow your page down pretty significantly.
When you choose to host a site on the WordPress platform, you’re taking up bandwidth. This can be expensive for you, as well as make it difficult to create an efficient website.
Instead, host your videos on a platform like YouTube or Vimeo. By taking your videos to another platform, you can embed them into your page.
The experience will be the same for your users — and your site will load much faster.
7. Update Your Theme
If you’ve made all these changes and your speed still isn’t improving, your theme might be holding you down. When a theme isn’t properly optimized, it can be slow to load.
Although it may mean a large change to your website, switching themes can help speed up your page to create a better user experience. The time invested in updating your WordPress theme will be well worth it in the end.
Don’t let a slow website prevent you from properly growing your business! Give these quick fixes a try to improve the speed of your site and your online presence.
Is Automation Agency the right fit for your business? Chat with Alvin AssistBot on Facebook Messenger to find out!
