So here it is, my official tried and tested method to speed up UK Wordpress websites. I’ve been working on site performance since the year 2000, and I know that this is the current ultimate solution for 2022!
Why should I increase my Wordpress site speed? Simply put, to make sure Google loves your site, and therefore pushes it up the SEO rankings.
There are 3 key steps, and some preparation required.
Preparation
- Do a speed test of your current site using Lighthouse. This is the official Google method for testing your site speed: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/lighthouse/
- If you are already scoring over 70/100 you are in a good position; 80 amazing; 90 incredible!
- Login to the backend your Wordpress site. (usually found at yoursite/wp-admin)
- Back up all your Wordpress data.
Step 1: Use Cloudflare CDN
This system usually increases your overall site speed a little by acting as a helper for your current server, while improving security.
https://dash.cloudflare.com/sign-up
There is not much to configure except making sure that your current host (hosting your site) has changed your site’s Nameservers to the Cloudflare ones.
N.B. The impact of this change will probably not be testable for about 24 hours after sign-up and Nameserver change.
Step 2: Install WP Rocket
This is the absolute winner when it comes to bumping up your Wordpress site speed. It usually increases the site speed by over 30 points. The current pricing is $49, which is totally worth it (I speak from experience).
The winning settings to configure:
- Cache: enable mobile cache
- File optimisation: minify CSS; optimise CSS delivery; minify Javascript files; load Javascript deferred; delay Javascript execution
- Media: lazyload enable for all
Step 3: Install Perfmatters
Perfmatters is the cherry on the cake in terms of the speed adjustment. All of our testing has increased site speed by between 10-20 points. Its main concept is way it can turn on/off Wordpress plugins so that they are only being loaded when actually required.
https://perfmatters.io?ref=830
The winning settings to configure:
- General: site-specific so you can flick each option on/off to see what works for you.
- Assets: enable script manager, then load the site and you’ll see ‘script manager’ which allows you to easily switch on/off plugins for each page.
- Preloading: enable instant page
- Fonts: use local Google fonts
End of speed upgrade check
No go back to Lighthouse and carry out another speed test on your site. The results will speak for themselves! Good luck.
Get in touch if you would like us to carry out this exact speed upgrade for you today, and increase your Google SEO ranking.
