17 Ways to Optimize and Speed Up WordPress Sites.docx.pdf ...

17​ ​Ways​ ​to​ ​Optimize​ ​and​ ​Speed​ ​Up​ ​WordPress​ ​Sites WordPress,​ ​as​ ​a​ ​platform,​ ​is​ ​extremely​ ​well​ ​coded.​ ​However,​ ​some​ ​people​ ​mess​ ​their WordPress​ ​installations​ ​up​ ​by​ ​installing​ ​tons​ ​of​ ​low-quality​ ​plugins,​ ​choosing​ ​an​ ​awful​ ​web​ ​host, and​ ​filling​ ​their​ ​site​ ​with​ ​heaps​ ​of ​garbage​.

Even​ ​if ​you​ don’t​ ​do​ ​something​ ​as​ ​stupid​ ​as​ ​these​ ​with​ ​your​ ​site,​ ​there’s​ ​still​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​room​ ​for improvement​ ​when​ ​it​ ​comes​ ​to​ ​speeding​ ​up​ ​your​ ​WordPress​ ​site.​ ​I​ ​optimize​ ​around​ ​8-10

WordPress​ ​sites​ ​in​ ​an​ ​average​ ​month,​ ​and​ ​there​ ​are​ ​a​ ​few​ ​techniques I​ ​always​ ​leverage​ ​to optimize​ ​and​ ​speed​ ​up​ ​WordPress​ ​sites. Here​ ​are​ ​a​ ​few​ ​ways​ ​(some​ ​well-known,​ ​some​ ​not)​ ​you​ ​can​ ​improve​ ​the​ ​performance​ ​of​ ​your WordPress​ ​sites: #1:​ ​Choose​ ​A Good​ ​Web​ ​Host You​ ​can​ ​think​ ​of​ ​optimizing​ ​your​ ​WordPress​ ​site​ ​only​ ​after​ ​you​ ​surely​ ​know​ ​that ​it’s​ ​not​ ​your host​ ​that’s​ ​slowing​ ​down​ ​your​ ​site​.​ ​Recently,​ ​I’ve​ ​been​ ​optimizing​ ​a​ ​site​ ​which​ ​was​ ​hosted​ ​on GoDaddy,​ ​which​ ​is,​ ​of​ ​course,​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​most​ ​horrible​ ​hosts​ ​out​ ​there​ ​that​ ​puts​ ​thousands​ ​of sites​ ​on​ ​a​ ​single​ ​shared​ ​server.​ ​As​ ​a​ ​result,​ ​their​ ​servers​ ​are​ ​damn​ ​slow.​ ​You​ ​have​ ​to​ ​make sure you​ ​don’t​ ​make​ ​these​ ​mistakes​ ​while​ ​choosing​ ​a​ ​web host​ ​that​ ​most​ ​beginners​ ​make. Like​ ​I​ ​always​ ​recommend,​ ​go​ ​visit​ ​some​ ​community​ ​like​ ​WebHostingTalk​ ​that’s​ ​filled​ ​with​ ​Web Hosting​ ​enthusiasts.​ ​Read​ ​some​ ​genuine​ ​reviews​ ​of​ ​the​ ​host​ ​you​ ​were​ ​planning​ ​to​ ​go​ ​with, before ​actually​ ​going​ ​with​ ​them​.​ ​I​ ​came​ ​to​ ​know​ ​about MDDHosting,​ ​the​ ​host​ ​that​ ​we’re​ ​on since​ ​2011,​ ​from​ ​WebHostingTalk.​ ​And​ ​I​ ​thank​ ​myself​ ​everyday​ ​for​ ​doing​ ​some​ ​actual​ ​research instead​ ​of​ ​going​ ​with ​just​ ​another​ ​crappy​ ​top-10​ ​‘unlimited​ ​everything’​ ​host​. Read​ ​my MDDHosting​ ​Review to​ ​know​ ​how​ ​a​ ​great​ ​web​ ​host​ ​can​ ​benefit​ ​you​ ​and​ ​save​ ​you hassles​ ​in​ ​the​ ​long​ ​run. If​ ​you​ ​wish​ ​to​ ​receive​ ​WordPress-specific​ ​support​ ​from​ ​your​ ​host,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​try​ ​a​ ​managed WordPress​ ​host. WPEngine is​ ​a​ ​fast​ ​growing​ ​reputable​ ​host​ ​that​ ​specializes​ ​in​ ​WordPress hosting.​ ​More​ ​“well-known”​ ​options​ ​include BlueHost and InMotion​ ​Hosting. #2:​ ​Use​ ​A​ ​Fast​ ​Theme/Framework You​ ​need​ ​to​ ​start​ ​with​ ​a​ ​fast​ ​and​ ​well-coded​ ​WordPress​ ​theme​ ​or​ ​framework.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​choose​ ​a theme​ ​packed​ ​with​ ​lots​ ​of​ ​additional​ ​features​ ​that​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​need,​ ​it’ll​ ​negatively​ ​impact​ ​your site​ ​performance. Last​ ​time​ ​I​ ​dealt​ ​with​ ​a​ ​heavy​ ​theme​ ​and​ ​framework,​ ​I​ ​had​ ​to​ ​put​ ​in​ ​more​ ​than​ ​8​ ​hours​ ​to optimize​ ​YooTheme’s​ ​Subway​ ​theme,​ ​to​ ​make​ ​it​ ​faster​ ​and​ ​improve​ ​the​ ​load​ ​time​ ​of​ ​the​ ​site from​ ​5.5​ ​seconds​ ​to​ ​1.8​ ​seconds. Unless​ ​you’re​ ​a​ ​total​ ​code-illiterate,​ ​don’t​ ​choose​ ​a​ ​theme​ ​that​ ​allows​ ​you​ ​to​ ​change​ ​everything directly​ ​from​ ​the​ ​theme​ ​options,​ ​making​ ​your​ ​job​ ​easy.​ ​Generally, ​it​ ​also​ ​makes​ ​the​ ​job harder​ for​ ​your​ ​web​ ​server​ ​and​ ​browser.​ ​Too​ ​much​ ​PHP,​ ​JavaScript,​ ​Iframe​ ​isn’t​ ​good​ ​for​ ​your site’s​ ​speed. The​ ​default​ ​WordPress​ ​themes​ ​are​ ​incredibly​ ​well-coded,​ ​light-weight,​ ​very​ ​fast​ ​and​ ​easily customizable.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​can​ ​handle​ ​a​ ​little​ ​bit​ ​of​ ​code​ ​or​ ​hire​ ​a​ ​developer,​ ​choose​ ​one​ ​of​ ​those​ ​to

build​ ​something​ ​great​ ​on​ ​top​ ​of​ ​them.​ ​I​ ​tweaked​ ​the​ ​default​ ​WordPress​ ​Twenty​ ​Thirteen​ ​theme for​ ​this​ ​site​ ​and​ ​it’s​ ​getting​ ​the​ ​job​ ​done​ ​very​ ​well. #3: Install​ ​A​ ​Caching​ ​Plugin The​ ​second​ ​most​ ​effective​ ​way​ ​(the​ ​first​ ​being​ ​choosing​ ​a​ ​good​ ​web​ ​host)​ ​to​ ​improve​ ​your​ ​site’s load​ ​times​ ​is​ ​to​ ​install​ ​a​ ​caching​ ​plugin.​ ​As​ ​soon​ ​as​ ​you​ ​install​ ​a​ ​plugin​ ​like ​W3​ ​Total Cache​ or ​WP​ ​Super​ ​Cache​,​ ​you’ll​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​tell​ ​that​ ​your​ ​site​ ​loads​ ​faster. In​ ​simple​ ​words,​ ​when​ ​a​ ​caching​ ​plugin​ ​is​ ​active​ ​on​ ​your​ ​site,​ ​it​ ​servers​ ​users​ ​cached​ ​copies​ ​of your​ ​pages.​ ​It​ ​greatly​ ​reduces​ ​MySQL​ ​​ ​type="image/x-ico"​ ​href="​​/favicon.jpg"​ ​/>