How to Improve WordPress Website Performance by Optimizing Themes, Images, and Caching

Website performance has become an important factor in user experience and search engine rankings. This is especially true for websites that use WordPress Performance optimization is not only about user experience, it's also about improving the competitiveness of your website. In this article, we'll start from scratch and explain in detail how to optimize your WordPress site to the max in a series of steps that will make it more competitive in the Google Page Speed Get high scores on tools like.

I. Install the theme and populate the content

In a fresh WordPress installation, you first need to select afittingof the topic. Here we take WoodMart thematicAs an example, it not only features a great design, but also puts a lot of effort into performance optimization. After installing the theme, it usuallyImporting Virtual Contentto get a quick overview of the site's structure and functionality. But virtual content isn't optimized for optimal performance, so you'll need to use real images, products, posts, and pages in theAfter populating the site, then focus on performance optimization.

￥19.99Nanny tutorial on using WoodMart theme

October 15, 16:31

0215W+13.6W+

Before filling in the content, here are a few suggestions to consider:

1. SSL Certificate: Make sure your website has effective SSL CertificateThis is the basis for securing your website.
2. Image Optimization: Optimize all images before uploading and use the correct image sizes (the steps will be explained in detail later).
3. Replacement images: Replace all images in the virtual content with your own to avoid loading images from third-party servers that affect speed.
4. clean page: avoid creating overly complex pages.Too many sliders, animations, rotations and productscan increase page complexity and DOM size, which can affect performance.

Second, check the server response time and optimization

Server response time is critical to website performance. A fast and reliablehosting servercan significantly improve the user experience. Here are some suggestions for checking and optimizing server response times:

1. Choosing a Managed Service Provider: Choose a platform that offers high-performance hosting services.
2. Test Response Time: Test server response times using tools such as WebPageTest or Google Chrome Inspector. Typically.shopping cart pageis a good test object because it usually has no additional elements and the caching plugin does not affect its test results.

3. Enable GZIP compression: GZIP compression optimizes the size and time to load resources. If this feature is not enabled on your server, contact your hosting provider for assistance.

III. Configuring theme performance settings

WoodMart The theme is configured by default to have good performance and support most features. However, if you don't use certain features, you can set them with theprohibit the use of sth.them to get better performance. Here are some suggested configuration options:

1. Disable Gutenberg styles: If you're primarily using Elementor or the WPBakery page builder, you canDisable Gutenberg's CSS and JS files to lighten the loadThe

2. Setting fonts and icons: In the theme settingsadapt Google Fonts and Icons for "font-display"attribute, it is recommended to set it to "Swap"For better performance.
3. delayed loading: For pages containing a large number of images, enabling delayed loading reduces the page size.
4. Optimizing the WPBakery Page Builder: By disabling unnecessary widgets toReducing CSS Size.
5. Initialize rotation when scrolling: Enabling this option reduces the initial JS execution time for rotating elements that are not on the initial screen.
6. AJAX Menu Dropdown: Enable this option for all drop-down menus with HTML blocks to reduce DOM size on initial page load and improve performance.

IV. Image optimization

Images are one of the most resource-intensive elements of a website. ByOptimized imagesthat can significantly improve page load speed. Here are some suggestions for image optimization:

1. compressed image: Use TinyPNG and other tools to compress images before uploading, making sure that the image size does not exceed 100-200KB (the average size of product and post images should be 50-150KB, and larger images for hero sections and sliders can be 150-200KB).
2. Automatic Image Optimization Plug-in: Installation Imagify and other automatic image optimization plug-ins for imageCreate WEBP format to further reduce image weight.
3. Setting the image size: Set the appropriate image size according to the website layout and page elements to avoid slow loading caused by oversized images.

V. Installation WP Rocket Caching Plugin

Caching plugins are key tools for improving the performance of your WordPress website.WP Rocket is an advanced and easy to use caching and performance optimization plugin. Here are some configuration suggestions:

1. File Optimization: Enable the CSS minimization option, and enable the JS minimization and delayed loading of JS files options as needed. Note, however, that delayed loading may affect the user experience, so you'll need to adjust this accordingly.
2. Cache Settings: Set up separate cache files for mobile devices to improve loading speed on mobile devices. Also, add wishlists and comparison pages to the Never Cache URL list, as they should not be cached.
3. Advanced Rules: Activate other advanced rule options as needed to further optimize site performance.

Six,Setting up the CDN

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) can significantly improve the speed at which websites load globally. Here are some suggestions for setting up a CDN:

1. Selecting a CDN Service ProviderAs KeyCDN maybe RocketCDN The CDNs are fast and easy to set up.
2. Register and add regions: Register an account on the CDN provider's website and add a new region. In the "Origin URL" in the root URL of your website.
3. Configuring the CDN: Copy the zone URL and insert it into the WP Rocket's CDN settings. After saving and clearing the cache, verify that the CDN is properly activated.

Seven,Fix Google Page Speed Warning

Google Page Speed The warnings in the report are an important reference for optimizing the performance of your website. Here are some common warnings and their fixes:

1. Eliminate render-blocking resources: Reduce the number of resources in the header of your website, such as CSS files, JS, and fonts. Disable unnecessary Google Fonts and Font Awesome icon libraries or replace them with custom fonts and SVG icons.
2. Reducing Unused JavaScript: Check all script files, especially those loaded by third-party plugins. Disable unnecessary plugins or globally loaded JS files. For plugins such as Slider Revolution, uninstall or disable their global loading if not needed.
3. Reduce initial server response time: Optimize server response times by installing caching plugins. If response times are still too long, disable the plugins one by one to find out what the problem is, or contact your hosting provider for help.