Introduction
A slow website is like a bad first impression: It sets the tone for your entire business. If you’ve ever tried to download a large file on a slow internet connection, you know that it doesn’t matter whether or not the file itself is good; if it takes forever to load, you’re not going to use it. As a result, when people visit your website, they don’t even bother waiting for it to load and leave. And then they tell their friends not to waste their time visiting because it’s so slow!
We’ve all been there: You open up your browser or phone and try to go somewhere, only to see that annoying spinning wheel of death as the page tries in vain (and fails) to load any content whatsoever.
Run performance tests.
Run performance tests.
When you’re working with a website developer, they might recommend running some basic performance tests with tools like Pingdom and GTMetrix before launching a new site. These tools will give you an idea of how fast your site actually is, so you can see if there are any obvious problems that need to be addressed before going live. If you don’t have access to any developers or agencies who do this kind of work, I would recommend looking into these services and testing your site yourself before launch day.
If you’re not sure what to look for when it comes to speed optimization, here’s a quick overview:
- Look for page load times under 2 seconds—as long as it’s under 3 seconds, there’s still room for improvement!
- Make sure your site loads quickly from all devices (desktop computers, tablets, smartphones). The average user spends more time on mobile devices than desktops/laptops these days!
Choose a reliable hosting provider like SiteGround.
Choosing a reliable hosting provider is the first step to speeding up your WordPress site. To speed up your blog, look for a hosting company that offers 24/7 support and a money-back guarantee. When looking for a host, make sure that they offer security and performance guarantees. In addition, if you are new to the world of web hosting, make sure that the company has a free trial period so that you can test out their services before committing to anything long term.
Update everything.
- Update your plugins.
- Update your themes.
- Update your WordPress installation itself, including any child themes you’re using.
- Update the core of PHP and MySQL, which is what runs WordPress (the language and database). Your hosting provider’s software may be out-of-date as well, so check with them to see if they have updates available for their server software and infrastructure components like Apache or Nginx. Finally, make sure that you’re not running an outdated version of PHP on your web server: The most recent versions are 7+; anything less than 5 will likely cause issues with WordPress sites because it doesn’t support newer functions or security features necessary to run modern websites securely.
Delete unused plugins.
One of the easiest ways to speed up your site is to delete unused plugins. This is especially important if you’re not sure exactly what each plugin does and how it could be affecting your site’s performance.
First, check your WordPress installation for any plugins that are no longer active (i.e., those with an empty activation date). If there are any plugins like this, remove them from your site by deleting them in the Plugins section of the admin area. If you aren’t sure where they went after deletion, search for them in a file manager like Finder or Windows Explorer; just make sure that you put everything back where it belongs before saving and uploading changes!
Other options include asking someone who knows what they’re doing—that’s usually us here at WebStarts—or checking with whoever hosts your website (if different than us), as they may have insight into which ones could be slowing down its loading time without even realizing it themselves!
Optimize images.
If you’re using WordPress, there’s a good chance you’ve already got the Media Library feature. But if not and want to get started, it’s easy enough to add—just click on “Add Media” in your post editor and select “Upload Files.”
You should also be aware that there are tools out there that can help optimize your images before they even get uploaded. If you have an image that’s over 4MB, or if it has an unnecessary number of colors (like 24-bit PNGs), then it may be worth using one of these services:
- TinyPNG – Compress images up to 80% smaller while retaining quality
- Smush – Optimize JPEGs and PNGs so they load faster on any device
Use a lightweight theme.
- Lightweight themes are easy to load.
- Lightweight themes are easy to use.
- Lightweight themes are easy to update.
- Lightweight themes are easy to customize.
- Lightweight themes are easy to maintain.
Have your site built by a professional.
If you want to speed up your site and make it as fast and secure as possible, then consider having a professional build it for you. Professionals will make sure that the site is visually appealing, easy to navigate and optimized for search engines. They’ll also ensure that the site is fast and secure so that users don’t get frustrated or leave because things aren’t loading quickly enough.
There are many professionals who offer WordPress services on Upwork, Freelancer or Fiverr (or even locally).
If you’re not sure where to start, get your website built and hosted by professionals who know what they’re doing.
If you’re not sure where to start, get your website built and hosted by professionals who know what they’re doing. If you have a small business or hobby site and don’t need the bells and whistles of complicated features like e-commerce, but do want a fast website that loads quickly, consider using a WordPress hosting company and plan that offers only the most basic features.
Speed up your site by using a fast hosting provider. A lot of people overlook this step when trying to improve their WordPress sites’ performance because they think it’s too expensive or difficult (or both). While it may be true that you could end up spending more money on hosting than some other solutions if you’re not careful about shopping around for deals, many reliable hosts offer lightning-fast options at reasonable prices—and those are worth looking into!
Conclusion
If you’re not sure where to start, get your website built and hosted by professionals who know what they’re doing.