WordPress powers nearly a third of the entire internet.
Yet despite the fact that WordPress gives everyone a chance to build a competitive website, WP sites can be notoriously slow.
Because page loading speed can impact your visitor bounce rates, it’s essential to ensure your site loads as quickly as possible.
Many site owners think they have to switch platforms in order to experience a fast-loading site.
However, there are plenty of things you can do to ensure that your WordPress site moves quickly!
Is Your WordPress site loading slow? We have answers. Read on for tips!
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1. Update and Remove Plugins
Every WordPress site owner has the opportunity to use a variety of WordPress plugins. These plugins can help you tackle visual elements of your site, get data on-site visits, and improve your user experience.
Yet too many plugins can actually be hindering the loading speed of your WordPress site. One way to speed up WordPress is to remove any plugins that you no longer need.
In addition to this, update any existing plugins you have. Updates can ensure that your plugins are functioning to the best of their abilities (and at the best speeds).
If you’re having trouble deciding which plugins to discard, start with the ones that you use only occasionally. Others may not be making much of a difference on your site anyways–get rid of these as well.
2. Optimize Images
WordPress sites tend to low slowly if your images and media files are too large.
Many site owners struggle to size files according to WordPress’s expectations before uploading. Luckily, there’s a plugin that can compress your image files so that they upload in the smallest format possible without sacrificing quality.
Check out the plugin Smush for easy, free, automatic image compression everytime you upload an image into a post or a page.
Otherwise, be sure that your images are all JPEGs prior to uploading, as this is generally the best file format for fast-loading WordPress sites. This format is ideal for mobile users, too!
3. Consult Your Web Host
In some cases, your web hosting solution may be actually hindering the loading speed of your WordPress site.
This happens due to the location of your web host’s servers, which may cause your site to load slowly when accessed from different geographic regions. Your current type of hosting may also be impacting loading speeds, particularly if you are using a shared network.
Consider upgrading to a hosting solution that is more likely to enable fast loading speeds, such as a dedicated server hosting.
You may also wish to use a Content Delivery System (CDN) in order to speed up loading times on your WordPress sites. CDNs can present stored static files of your pages to deliver to users accessing your site from certain regions.
Lastly, if your web host is not delivering in terms of speed, consider switching to a more reliable hosting solution.
4. Keep Your WordPress Site Updated
Much like plugins, your WordPress site itself requires regular updates. These updates are critical for ensuring that your site stays bug-free and operational.
They can also play a key role in ensuring that your content is loading as quickly as possible.
Check for update opportunities by navigating to your WordPress dashboard, and clicking the “Updates” tab in the upper lefthand corner. You can tell if updates are available if there is a numbered red dot next to this tab.
5. Serve Cached Pages
When a new visitor navigates to your site, WordPress must assemble all of your content for that visitor. It generally does this for all visitors, new and returning, unless you set up caching.
Cached pages enable WordPress to deliver copies of the content it delivered to first-time visitors every time they return so that it doesn’t have to assemble all of your content every single time. Serving cached pages can dramatically improve your WordPress loading speed.
To serve cached pages, we recommend installing a WordPress caching plugin. There are a variety of plugins available to users, but the most highly reviewed include W3 Total Cache and WP Fastest Cache.
6. Regularly Inspect Website Speed
A fast WordPress site is one that is closely monitored for speed. It’s hard to address page loading issues if you aren’t aware of how quickly your site loads in the first place!
Take some time now to identify your WordPress site’s loading speed. Online tools like Pingdom, for example, can deliver free and real-time results about loading speeds.
Pingdom also enables users to sign up for a free account in order to receive regular daily updates on loading speeds.
It’s also important to be aware of what a fast loading speed actually is. In general, it’s wise to aim for a loading speed of fewer than four seconds. Google prides itself on its ability to load content in one half of a second!
7. Seek Professional Assistance
It can be tough identifying solutions for a slow loading WordPress site, particularly if you’ve followed many of the steps above and are still needing aid. You may turn to one of many WordPress forums for help, but these can be notoriously difficult to access.
For this reason, it may be wise to seek out professional assistance. A variety of companies are dedicated to providing WordPress support to certain users, no matter what your needs are. In most cases, their services are cost-effective and comprehensive.
Learn more about getting professional help with WordPress websites here.
Final Thoughts: Is Your WordPress Site Loading Slow?
WordPress is a great platform for entrepreneurs, beginner bloggers, and e-commerce business owners. Yet WordPress sites can be notoriously slow!
If you’re tired of typing “WordPress site loading slow” into Google, try out these solutions to slow-loading WordPress sites today. Make sure your images are the right size and format prior to uploading.
Serve cached pages to your visitors and keep plugins regularly updated. Update your WordPress site when an update is necessary and consider chatting with your web host to upgrade to a faster hosting solution.
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