How fast your blog loads is super important for search engines like Google. Google looks at how quick your blog shows up and uses that to decide how high to put your blog in search results. If your pages load fast, Google will like you more and give your blog a better rank. Plus, people won’t enjoy your blog if it takes a long time to load.
In this article, I’ll explain a few simple steps to make your WordPress site faster.
Here are 6 Steps to Speed up WordPress Blog
1) Choose High Speed WordPress Hosting
The first and most important step to consider is your web hosting. If your web hosting isn’t good, no matter how much you optimize your WordPress blog, you might not see any improvement in speed. Avoid going for a shared hosting plan, even though you might find one for a cheap price. You’re likely to experience slower speed and frequent downtime during high-traffic periods.
Always opt for Managed WordPress hosting. Here’s a popular high-speed Managed hosting service designed specifically for WordPress blogs.
2. Pick your Theme and Framework wisely
Using WordPress frameworks can save you a lot of time because they let you avoid writing the same code over and over, which can take up a lot of time. Choosing lightweight frameworks is the key to having a fast website.
One of the top premium WordPress theme frameworks, and my personal favorite, is Genesis. It’s an advanced, speedy, flexible, and secure framework from StudioPress. Genesis offers a variety of excellent child themes that you can easily use.
3. Optimizing Your Images
Having lots of images on your page can slow down how fast your blog loads. It’s a good idea to keep your page size under 100 KB. There’s an image optimizer called Smush.it from Yahoo! that can shrink image file sizes a lot without losing quality.
For an easy solution, try the free plugin EWWW Image Optimizer. It automatically handles all the optimization for you.
Download Free Image Optimizer Plugin – EWWW Image Optimizer
4. Use Some Good Cache Plugin
Caching is like taking a snapshot of your blog’s content and showing it to your visitors without asking the database every time. It turns your dynamic WordPress pages into static ones, speeding up your blog.
There are lots of free caching plugins like WP-Optimize, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, WP Super Cache etc. Choose one best cache plugin and install it for optimal caching.
5. Use CDN (Content Delivery Network)
A content delivery network, or CDN, helps you deliver your blog’s content—images, CSS, and JavaScript files—from different places worldwide. It sends your blog content from the closest location to your visitors. For example, if someone visits your blog from the UK, the content will come from a server in the UK.
There are several Free CDN providers available, such as Cloudflare, Optimole, and NameCheap Supersonic CDN
6. Optimize Your WordPress Database
Optimizing your database might not sound thrilling, but it’s a game-changer for your website’s speed and performance. Use the WP-Optimize WordPress Plugin. This plugin does some serious cleaning up, getting rid of spam, post drafts, and all the unnecessary stuff that slows your site down. It’s like giving your website a spring clean for better speed and smoother performance!
Download WP-Optimize WordPress Plugin –WP-Optimize
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can supercharge your WordPress site’s speed and performance. Start by choosing a top-notch hosting service and a sleek WordPress framework like Genesis. Optimize your images and utilize caching with W3 Total Cache. Implement a CDN like MaxCDN or Cloudflare and streamline your database using WP-Optimize. These strategies collectively pave the way for a faster, smoother, and more enjoyable website experience for your visitors.