Strategies for boosting the performance of your WordPress site

Your site WordPress slow? Discover 10 easy-to-implement strategies to boost your WordPress site's performance in 2024: hosting, theme, plugins, images, cache, CDN and more! Improve speed, UX and SEO.

Here are the most effective strategies for boost the performance of your WordPress site.

Let's break them down one by one:

1. Choosing high-performance web hosting : The basis of everything

Your web hosting is the foundation of site performance. Poor-quality hosting can severely limit your ability to boost the performance of your WordPress siteno matter what other optimizations you make.

WordPress hosting types and performance

• Shared hosting : The cheapest, but shared with many other sites. Can be slow and inefficient for high-traffic sites.
• VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting : Better performance than shared hosting, with more dedicated resources. A good performance/price compromise for many WordPress sites.
• Dedicated hosting : The most powerful and the most expensive. Entire server dedicated to your site. Ideal for high-traffic sites.
• Managed WordPress hosting : Specially optimized for WordPress, often offering built-in performance features (cache, CDN, etc.) and dedicated WordPress support. Often the best choice for boost the performance of your WordPress site without too much technical complexity.

Tips for choosing a high-performance web host

• Look for web hosts with a reputation for speed and reliability.
• Check reviews and testimonials from other users.
• Choose hosting that is geographically close to your target audience.
• Consider managed WordPress hosting for optimized performance and ease of use.

2. Optimize your WordPress theme: Light and fast

The WordPress theme you choose has a major impact on your site's performance. A poorly coded, heavy or feature-laden theme can slow down your site considerably. For boost the performance of your WordPress siteChoose a lightweight, optimized theme.

Features of a high-performance WordPress theme

• Light and fast: Cleanly coded, with a minimum of superfluous code.
• Mobile-first : Designed to be fast and responsive on mobile devices.
• Regular updates : To guarantee security and compatibility with the latest versions of WordPress.
• Fewer unnecessary features: Avoid "all-in-one" themes that include features you won't use.

Popular, high-performance theme options

• Default WordPress themes (Twenty Twenty-Three, Twenty Twenty-Four, etc.) : Simple, light and well-coded.
• GeneratePress: Extremely lightweight, customizable theme. Highly appreciated for performance.
• Astra : Another popular, lightweight theme with numerous customization options.
• OceanWP: Versatile, high-performance theme with options for online stores (WooCommerce).

Page Builders: Use with moderation

• Page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or Divi can make it easy to create complex layouts, but they can also add extra code and potentially slow down your site.
• Use them judiciously, only when necessary for specific layouts, and avoid using them throughout your site if you want to boost the performance of your WordPress site.

3. Optimizing and managing WordPress plugins: Less is more

Plugins are essential for extending WordPress functionality, but they can also have a negative impact on performance if poorly managed. Too many plugins, poorly coded or outdated plugins can slow down your site and cause security problems.

Plugin management principles for performance

• Delete unnecessary plugins: Deactivate and delete any plugins you are no longer actively using. Audit your plugins regularly.
• Choose high-performance, well-coded plugins: Look for reputable plugins with good reviews and regular updates. Choose plugins that do what they're supposed to do efficiently, without adding superfluous features.
• Replace resource-hungry plugins : Some plugins (complex statistics, heavy sliders, etc.) can consume a lot of resources. If possible, look for lighter alternatives, or consider implementing certain features manually if appropriate.

Plugins essential for performance (and to be used with caution)

• Cache plugins (more on this later) : Indispensable for boost the performance of your WordPress site.
• Image optimization plugins (more on this later) : To reduce image size without any visible loss of quality.
• Security plugins : Security is important, but some overly intrusive security plugins can impact performance. Choose them with care.

4. Image optimization: A major speed factor

Images often account for a significant proportion of a web page's weight. Unoptimized images can considerably slow down the loading of your site. Image optimization is a crucial step for boost the performance of your WordPress site.

Image optimization techniques

• Image compression : Reduce image file size without noticeable loss of quality. Use compression tools before uploading to WordPress (TinyPNG, Compressor.io, ImageOptim, etc.) or use automatic optimization plugins (ShortPixel, Imagify, Smush).
• Choosing the right file format :
  • JPEG : Ideal format for photos and complex images with lots of color. Good quality/size compromise.
  • PNG : Format suitable for images with transparency (logos, icons) or images requiring maximum quality (but files generally heavier than JPEG).
  • WebP: Modern image format developed by Googleoffering excellent compression and quality. Increasingly supported by browsers. Use plugins to serve WebP images to compatible browsers.
  • Avoid BMP and TIFF formats: These formats are generally very heavy and unsuitable for the web.
• Resize images to the appropriate size : Don't upload images larger than necessary for display on your site. Resize them before importing them into WordPress.
• Lazy loading : Load images only when they become visible on the screen (when the page is scrolled). Significantly improves initial page loading time. Lazy loading is often integrated natively into WordPress or can be activated via plugins.

WordPress image optimization plugins

• ShortPixel Image Optimizer : Very popular and efficient, offers lossy and lossless compression, WebP conversion.
• Imagify : Similar to ShortPixel, offers various compression options, WebP conversion.
• WP Smush.it: Free, easy-to-use image compression plugin.

5. Caching: The key to speed

Caching is one of the most important techniques for boost the performance of your WordPress site. The cache allows you to store a static version of your web pages so that they can be served more quickly to subsequent visitors. Without a cache, WordPress has to generate each page dynamically on every request, which consumes server resources and slows down loading.

Cache types

• Browser caching : The visitor's web browser stores static elements (images, CSS...), JavaScript) for subsequent visits. Configurable via HTTP headers or plugins.
• Server-side caching : The web server stores a static version of the pages and serves it directly to visitors, without having to call on WordPress each time. Can be configured at server level (by your hosting provider) or via WordPress plugins.
• Object caching : Caches database requests to speed them up. More technical, often managed at server level or via advanced plugins.
• CDN (Content Delivery Network) caching : CDNs (see next point) also cache static content on their globally distributed servers.

Recommended WordPress cache plugins

• WP Rocket : Comprehensive, easy-to-use premium cache plugin. Numerous optimization features included. Highly recommended for boost the performance of your WordPress site efficiently.
• W3 Total Cache : Very powerful free plugin, but more complex to configure than WP Rocket. Offers many advanced caching options.
• LiteSpeed Cache : High-performance free plug-in, optimized for LiteSpeed servers. If your host uses LiteSpeed, this is an excellent choice.
• WP Fastest Cache : Free plugin, easier to use than W3 Total Cache, but with fewer advanced features.

6. Using a CDN (Content Delivery Network): Distributing your content worldwide

A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a network of servers distributed geographically around the world. When you use a CDN, your site's static content (images, CSS, JavaScript) is stored on these servers. When a visitor accesses your site, the CDN serves the static content from the server geographically closest to the visitor. This reduces latency and speeds up site loading for visitors from all over the world. A CDN is particularly useful if your audience is international.

Performance benefits of a CDN

• Faster loading times for international visitors.
• Reduce the load on your hosting server.
• Better resistance to traffic peaks.

Popular CDNs for WordPress

• Cloudflare: Very popular, easy-to-configure free CDN (with more advanced paid options). Also offers security features and DDoS protection.
• Bunny CDN : Paid CDN with a reputation for speed and affordability.
• KeyCDN : Another high-performance, reliable paid CDN.
• Amazon CloudFront, Fastly, etc. : More advanced and complex CDNs, often used by large corporations and high-traffic sites.

CDN integration with WordPress

• Most caching plugins (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache) facilitate integration with CDNs. Cloudflare can often be configured directly via your hosting dashboard or via a specific plugin.

7. Optimize your WordPress database: Clean and optimize

The WordPress database stores all the content of your site (posts, pages, comments, settings, etc.). Over time, the database can fill up with unnecessary data (post revisions, obsolete transients, etc.), which can slow down queries and impact your site's overall performance. Optimizing your WordPress database is an important step towards boost the performance of your WordPress site.

Database optimization actions

• Delete article revisions : WordPress automatically saves previous versions of your posts (revisions). Deleting unnecessary revisions can reduce the size of your database.
• Delete obsolete transients : Transients are temporary data used by WordPress and plugins. Obsolete transients can accumulate and slow down the database.
• Optimize database tables : Reorganize data in database tables to improve query efficiency.
• Delete spam and unapproved comments.

WordPress database optimization plugins

• WP-Optimize : Very popular free plugin for database cleaning and optimization. Offers many optimization options.
• Advanced Database Cleaner : More advanced free plugin for more precise database cleaning.
• WP Rocket (includes database optimization options) : If you're using WP Rocket, it already includes features for database optimization.

Backing up the database before optimization

• Before carrying out any database optimization operations, it is essential to crucial make a full backup of your database. In the event of a problem, you'll be able to restore your database to a previous state. Most optimization plugins offer a backup option.

8. Upgrading PHP to the latest version: Improving performance and security

PHP is the programming language on which WordPress is based. Newer versions of PHP are generally faster and more powerful than older versions. Upgrading PHP to the latest available version can significantly boost the performance of your WordPress site and improve safety.

Benefits of updating PHP

• Best performance : New versions of PHP are optimized for speed and efficiency.
• Enhanced safety : New versions correct security flaws in previous versions.
• Compatibility with the latest versions of WordPress and plugins.

How to update PHP

• The procedure for updating PHP depends on your hosting provider. Consult your host's documentation or contact their technical support to find out how to update PHP for your hosting account. Most hosting providers offer an option to choose the PHP version in their control panel (cPanel, Plesk, etc.).

Check compatibility

• Before upgrading PHP, make sure your theme and plugins are compatible with the new PHP version. Test your site after the upgrade to make sure it's working properly.

9. Minimize HTTP requests: Reduce the number of elements to be loaded

Each element of your web page (images, CSS, JavaScript, etc.) requires an HTTP request to be downloaded from the server. Reducing the number of HTTP requests can boost the performance of your WordPress site by reducing overall loading time.

Techniques for minimizing HTTP requests

• Combining and minifying CSS and JavaScript files : Reduce the number of CSS and JavaScript files by combining them into a single file and removing unnecessary spaces and comments (minification). Optimization plugins (WP Rocket, Autoptimize, etc.) can automate this task.
• Using CSS Sprites : Combine several small images (icons, buttons, etc.) into a single "sprite" image and use CSS to display only the necessary part. Reduces the number of image requests.
• Avoid unnecessary HTTP redirects.
• Limit the number of external scripts (web fonts, tracking services, etc.): Each external script adds an HTTP request. Avoid unnecessary scripts and host resources (such as web fonts) locally if possible.

10. Continuous monitoring and speed testing: Measure and constantly improve

Boost the performance of your WordPress site is an ongoing process. It's important to regularly monitor your site's speed and test the impact of any changes you make. Use speed testing tools to analyze your site's performance and identify areas for improvement.

Website speed testing tools

• Google PageSpeed Insights : Free tool from Google that analyzes your site's speed and provides optimization recommendations. Important for SEO.
• GTmetrix : Another popular and detailed speed-testing tool, with graphs and in-depth analysis.
• WebPageTest : Powerful, customizable tool for testing speed from different locations and browsers.
• Pingdom Website Speed Test: Quick and easy tool for testing loading speed and time.

Measures to watch out for

• Complete page loading time (Load Time).
• Time To First Byte (TTFB) : Time taken by the server to respond to the first request. Indicates server performance.
• Number of HTTP requests.
• Total page size.
• PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix scores.

Regular testing and comparison

• Test your site's speed on a regular basis (e.g. once a month) and after any major modifications (theme changes, plugin additions, optimizations). Compare the results to measure the impact of your efforts and identify new optimization opportunities.

A fast WordPress site for guaranteed success

Boost the performance of your WordPress site is a profitable long-term investment. By implementing the strategies described in this article, you can significantly improve your site's speed, offer a better user experience, improve your SEO, increase your conversions and potentially reduce your hosting costs. Don't forget that performance optimization is an ongoing process. Regularly monitor your site's speed, test new techniques and adapt your approach according to your site's needs and the evolution of web technologies. A fast WordPress site is a major asset to your online success!