Why Website Speed Matters
Website speed is a crucial ranking factor, directly impacting user experience, engagement, and conversion rates. According to Google’s Core Web Vitals, a slow-loading site leads to higher bounce rates and lower search rankings.
In this guide, we’ll explore how to improve website speed with practical, actionable steps.
1. Choosing the Right Hosting Provider
Why it Matters
Your hosting environment plays a critical role in website performance. A slow or unreliable host can significantly impact load times, even if everything else is optimized.
Why We Recommend WP Engine
At True Vision Digital Partners, we trust WP Engine for high-performance WordPress hosting due to its:
- Global Edge Security, which delivers faster load times with a high-performance network
- EverCache® Technology, an advanced caching system ensuring pages load instantly
- Optimization for Core Web Vitals, designed for speed and reliability
- Scalability, allowing sites to handle traffic spikes without compromising performance
If you’re experiencing slow load times, consider migrating to a managed WordPress host like WP Engine.
2. Prioritizing Content Load for Faster Interactivity
Optimizing for First Contentful Paint (FCP)
- Load the most relevant content first, such as headings, hero images, and call-to-actions
- Defer non-critical JavaScript and CSS to prevent them from blocking page rendering
- Use lazy loading for images and videos below the fold to prioritize visible content
Optimizing for Target Audience
- Ensure the site structure and architecture prioritize important user interactions
- Build the application with speed in mind, making architectural decisions that support long-term performance as new features and content are added
If your users visit you site on mobile devices focus on mobile performance and usability first to ensure the best experience for your target audience.
3. Optimize WordPress Performance
Identify and Fix Slow Queries
- Use tools like Query Monitor or New Relic to analyze slow database queries
- Re-architect database queries to avoid unnecessary joins and unindexed searches
- Optimize WP_Query loops to prevent excessive database calls
- Cache long-lived database queries that do not need to be reloaded on every page request
Simplify HTML and Page Structure
- Minimize DOM size to prevent browser rendering slowdowns
- Use semantic HTML to improve page rendering efficiency
Optimize JavaScript Execution
- Use defer and async attributes to ensure scripts do not block page rendering
- Minimize third-party JavaScript as external scripts can slow load times
- Optimize long-running JavaScript execution by:
- Breaking large scripts into smaller, manageable chunks
- Using Web Workers to run background tasks without blocking rendering
- Removing unused JavaScript through Chrome DevTools or tools like WP Rocket
By Optimizing query execution and JavaScript performance on a client’s website it can reduce load time by up to 40%, improving both SEO and user engagement.
4. Serve Images in Next-Gen Formats
Large, unoptimized images are a major cause of slow page load times.
- Use WebP for images and WebM for videos instead of older formats like PNG and JPEG
- Compress images without losing quality using tools like TinyPNG or Imagify
- Implement responsive images to serve the right image size based on the user’s device
Switching from PNG/JPEG to WebP can reduced image file sizes by 30-40% without noticeable quality loss.
5. Deliver Content Over a CDN
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) reduces latency by serving content from the server closest to the user.
Benefits of a CDN
- Faster load times by reducing server response time
- Global availability ensures users across different regions get a consistent experience
- Lower bandwidth costs by reducing strain on the hosting server
WP Engine integrates with Cloudflare CDN for optimized performance.
6. Distributed Caching for Speed and Efficiency
Distributed caching stores website data across multiple locations, allowing users to load content faster based on their geographic location.
Benefits of Distributed Caching
- Faster page load times by reducing database queries
- Lower server load as pages are served from cache
- Improved SEO and Core Web Vitals scores
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to improve website speed, these strategies can make a measurable difference in both user experience and SEO rankings.
Next Steps
- Use a speed test tool like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix
- Optimize your site based on the results
- Consider upgrading to a managed host like WP Engine
Need help improving your website’s speed? Contact us for a technical SEO consultation today!