Your sluggish website is costing you money and giving your rivals an advantage because when your visitors get tired of waiting for your pages to show up on their screens, they go on to the next choice in Google. This results in you losing money. What can you do? A significant amount, and that’s just considering the do-it-yourself (DIY) options.
But first, you need to get an accurate picture of how severe the issue is. Use a program such as GT Metrix to determine how web pages load faster. If the above website looks anything like the one you have, then you have a number of issues that need to be fixed. Your choice of page speed tool will instruct you on how to optimize each issue that is contributing to an excessively slow load time for your website.
Here are 5 Steps to Make your Web Pages Load Faster;
1. Make minimal Use of WordPress Plugins.
Only a little bit to web pages load faster. If your WordPress site is the virtual equivalent of the truck in the image above, then it’s time to take a look at your plugins and add-ons. WordPress sites in general place high demands on the server that hosts them.
This post from Bit Rebels will provide you a few reasons why you should think about utilizing WordPress if you haven’t already done so before.
Check the speed of your page once again, just in case you find it hard to comprehend how slow it was. The next step is to disable all plugins by going to your WP dashboard and doing so. Verify that the speed has not changed. The discrepancy might be attributed to the usage of your plugins. Check how they affect the appearance of your website without them and consider whether or not each one is necessary. Check the page speed after each reactivation of an essential plugin as you reactivate the plugins one at a time.
2. Make use of a CDN
Without a shadow of a doubt. Your web pages load faster even with a free content delivery network (CDN). How exactly does it function?
Your website’s material is stored on the CDN’s servers, which are almost certainly quicker than those you use. When people wish to see your website, the data will need to go through fewer Internet switches and junctions on its way to their screens since the firm that provides your CDN also has servers in several locations across the globe.
The vast majority of evaluations that you will see on technology websites are skewed since the links on such websites are affiliate links, which mean that the site owners will receive fees if you make a purchase after clicking on those links. When a user clicks on a web page, the web pages load faster because it is distributed from a server nearby. You need to look for websites that have a significant amount of unbiased evaluations of different CDN providers.
Because content delivery network (CDN) services range in price from free to more than $200 per month, you need to have a sufficient understanding of the technology to choose the solution that is most suitable for your company.
3. Use a premium version of WordPress
Not in most cases. After running a test using the theme you’re currently using, try switching to either the TwentySeventeen or TwentySixteen theme and observing the results to see whether there is a change. Before doing any kind of performance test, make sure to turn off all of the plugins. There is a possibility that some free themes have inadequate coding and are not kept up to date in order to remain compatible with new versions of WordPress or internet browsers.
Even some commercial themes suffer from excruciatingly slow website load times. The loading times of pages created using a drag-and-drop theme are not optimized since their primary purpose is to web pages load faster. Before purchasing a theme, it is important to read customer reviews and confirm that the seller has a money-back guarantee in the event that the theme does not pass the performance test for the website.
4. Use less Social networking plugin to your site
Adding a free social networking plugin to your website is like to dangling a bucket off the back of a boat. Every time a page opens, some of them interact with the site where the plugin is hosted as well as the site where the social networking platform is hosted. This adds additional requests to the server and causes the CPU to work for many extra seconds. Because they install malware on your computer, some of the free plugins will even lead your website to display a warning about potential security risks. When you are attempting to establish trust in someone, it is the very last thing you need.
Consider using paid plugins for your social network connections, but be sure to check how these plugins will affect the performance of your site first.
5. Optimize your photograph
It is true. You should use a plugin such as EWWW Image Optimizer to optimize each and every image that is hosted on your website. Before and after you optimize your photographs, be sure to check how quickly your website loads. After that, seek for further ways to improve. Every picture has to be working toward something: Take out any photographs that aren’t essential but add to the aesthetic appeal.
To make your website more effective, read this: Top 7 Ways to Manage Content in WordPress