How to Fix a Slow WordPress Site (and get A+ scores)

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How to Fix a Slow WordPress Site (and get
A+ scores and a load time under 430ms) – 25
WordPress Speed Optimization Tips (2019)
 Last Updated: March 22, 2019 by Lewis Ogden
So you've got a slow WordPress site and want to know how you can
improve its speed and performance?
In this guide, I reveal how we reduced our website load time to just
430 milliseconds! I'll show you how to use free tools to gauge your
site's performance and 25 tips to speed up WordPress.
Many of the methods in this guide a free, some are a paid solution to
an important problem. If you want your WordPress site to perform
well in the search engines, increase visitors and become a website you
can be proud of…then read on.
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1. Assessing Your Hosting
Company
2. The Best Hosting For
WordPress Site Speed
3. Use latest PHP Version
4. Setting Up a Cache Plugin
5. Setting Up A CDN
6. Use a Lightweight Theme
7. Optimize Images
13. Avoid Using Sliders
14. Disable WordPress Features
15. Reduce The Number of
Plugins
16. Plugins to Avoid
17. Disable Comments
18. Gravatars – To Use or Not
To Use?
19. Disable Google Maps
Why WordPress Site Speed Matters
You only get a small window of time to capture your reader's attention
before they hit the back button and are gone for good. You can have
the best content in the world, but if your WordPress site loads slow
and their expectations are not met, they may never get to see your
website.
Visitors expect your website to load in 2 seconds or less, any longer
and your bounce rate starts to increase dramatically, resulting in fewer
pageviews, sales, and conversions.
What's more, Google now uses site speed in it's ranking algorithm. So
if you want to stand any chance of performing well in Google and
attracting the right kind of audience, you need to have a site that loads
fast.
Here's how to x a slow website (to view in video form click here).
How to Speed Up WordPress – Quick Links

8. Lazy Load all
Images/Videos/Iframes
9. Minify JavaScript and CSS
ﬁles
10. Update WordPress Version
11. Make Fewer HTTP Requests
12. Database Cleanup
20. Disable Emojis
21. Defer Parsing Of JavaScript
22. Adding Expires Headers
23. Remove Query Strings From
Static Resources
24. Minimize Redirects
25. Find Your Slowest Loading
Pages

This guide is broken down into 25-easy to follow steps that will help
you to improve your WordPress Site Speed in just a few hours. I have
tried to place each step in the order that will deliver the biggest
bene t/load time reduction.
Just remember, if you stick to the core steps in this guide you will have
a website that is faster than 99% of others online. You don't need to
spend all of your time chasing the elusive 100/100 score or an A+ on
each tool in order to have a super optimized site.
Before we begin, there are two steps we need to take before
performing any website speed optimization techniques, one of which
will save you from potentially losing your website and all the hard
work that's gone into it.
Get Your Benchmark Scores
The rst thing we need to do is to test our website speed to get our
baseline scores so that we have a starting point. For this, we will use 2

free-to-use tools that can help us do just that in a matter of seconds.
Pingdom
First up, Pingdom. Enter the root of your website into Pingdom and
click “Start Test”, in a few seconds you will have your baseline scores.
Take a snapshot of these or write them down so we can compare once
we've nished optimizing.
GTMetrix
Next up we'll head over to GTMetrix and enter our URL again. If you're
running an SSL certi cate (and you should be) ensure you use the
correct pre x for your website's URL (https:// and not http://).

As you can see, whilst we've got some great PageSpeed and YSlow
scores, our “Fully Loaded Time” is 2.4s. This, of course, can be
improved, but sometimes it comes down to speed vs usability and we
like to be able to create nice looking pages with page builders and a
few other tools.
So removing them would completely change the user experience. You
don't have to sacri ce everything for fast load times.
How To Test For Slow Hosting
As I mentioned earlier, one of the best ways to test for slow web
hosting is to look at the time to rst byte (TTFB). This can be done
quickly and easily using Bitcatcha (free service). The lower your TTFB
the better, as you can see from the image below, this website scores
on A+ with some incredibly low numbers.

Backup Your Website
Before we dive in and make a bunch of changes to speed up your
WordPress site, you will want to create a backup of your website les
and its database. There are 2 methods of doing this:
Manual Method

Manually involves logging into the cPanel of your website, zipping and
download the WordPress site les and then heading over to
PHPMyAdmin and downloading a zip version of your database.
If you're not familiar with the cPanel you may wish to jump to option 2
which is a quick and pain-free way to automate this process. If you like
to get your hands dirty…here's what you need to do.
Stage 1 – Backup the Website Files
Log into the cPanel of your website and head over toFile
Manager
Navigate to the root of your website (typically /public_html)
Select all les & folders and click on the compress option
Choose “zip” archive and give your new compressed le a name
Once compressed, download the new le to your local hard
drive (if you cannot see it, you may need to hit the “reload' icon)
Stage 2 – Database Backup
Head back to your cPanel and look for the phpmyadmin shortcut
and click it
From the next screen locate your database on the left menu and
select it
Then click the ‘Export' button on the top navigation menu
Select the “Quick Export' option and click the “Go” button
This will download the database in .sql format to your local hard
drive
That's all there is to it.
Automated Method
There are a number of plugins you can use to backup your WordPress
site and avoid losing your data. My recommended free option is

UpDraftPlus and a premium option should you require support and a
few additional options is BackupBuddy.
Personally, I don't see the need to spend money on this step and if you
can't or would prefer not to backup WordPress manually then I'd stick
with UpDraftPlus.
As you can see, UpDraftPlus keeps its user interface very simple and
that can only be a good thing (it won't slow down the backend of your
WP site too much).
All you need to do is hit the “Backup Now” button.
A popup will appear con rming what you wish to backup (check
both the les & database boxes).
Optional: You can also set up your cloud storage solution via
the settings page if you'd prefer (recommended).

Extra Step – Not required – Now we've got a backup of our website
safe and secure on our hard drive there is just one small extra step I
like to take here, and that is to upload those 2 les to the Cloud. My
preference is Google Drive, but you could also use DropBox, OneDrive,
Zoho Docs or any other reliable cloud storage service.
25 Tips for Improving WordPress Site Speed
& Performance
1. Assessing Your Hosting Company
The number one factor when it comes to speeding up WordPress is
the hosting provider you use. You can x all of the on-site issues you
may have, but if your host has slow servers, outdated technology and
their time to rst byte is high, you'll never hit those fast site speeds.
Which Hosting Companies to Avoid
There is one HUGE player in this area, which you should avoid and that
is EIG (Endurance International Group). This company operates some

of the largest providers you may have come across, namely Bluehost &
HostGator.
With over 60 registered brands, EIG's have grown their business
primarily through acquisitions of other brands and as such is not the
best choice when it comes to web hosting.
The others are GoDaddy and 1&1 Ionos, who both have a big
marketing budget and from personal experience, I wouldn't choose
them again. Also, evidence (below) suggests to avoid them too.

2. The Best Hosting For WordPress Site Speed
SiteGround
My rst choice when it comes to web hosting for a WordPress website
is SiteGround, I will go into my reasons for this being my #1 choice
below, but for now I will leave you with a few examples of why the
industry also thing SiteGround is the go-to option for fast hosting
options for your website.
Click Here For My Recommended Web Hosting –
SiteGround
Special Discount for BitsFromBytes readers with SiteGround – my
trusted hosting provider for over 7-years.
They o er incredible speeds, 24/7 support and will transfer your
website for you.
For full transparency, in this guide I will be using a liate links,
however, any products I recommend will have been used by me and
our team AND are backed up by external 3rd party sources.
OPEN SITEGROUND IN A NEW WINDOW

View Poll on Facebook View Poll on Facebook

As you can see, with so many people recommending them across the
most popular and active Facebook Groups for improving website
performance, it's hard to look past this evidence of a great company
o ering a stellar service and most of all, paying attention to what it's
users (you and I) actually want.
Siteground Hosting Plans & Pricing
SiteGround o er 3 primary hosting plans (we like simple!). Choose the
one that's right for your needs, which will be based on a few factors,
such as:
The number of websites you need to host
Your monthly/annual hosting budget
Number of monthly visitors
Web space required
View Poll on Facebook
View Poll on Facebook

All 3-options suit a wide range of budgets and requirements and it's
easy to upgrade at any time.
Startup – $3.95 /mon – Designed for new and start WordPress
websites with up to 10,000 visitors each month and a total of 10
GB of Web Space. There is the space to hold just a single
domain name, so if you only have one website, blog or business
then this is suitable for you.
GrowBig – $5.95 /mon – If you have an established website and
are looking to grow your blog or business then the GrowBig plan
o ers the space to do that. You can add unlimited
domains/websites to this package, which is perfect if you're
looking to create more than one website. The monthly visitor
volume and web space are doubled on this plan to 25,000
visitors and 20 GB Web Space.
GoGeek – $11.95 /mon – The GoGeek is “Crafted for Real
WordPress Geeks” to quote SiteGround themselves. With a
whopping 30 GB web space and up to 100,000 visitors per
month

SiteGround Hosting Features – Why SiteGround
Is My Preferred Choice
1. Free WordPress Website Transfer
If you have an existing website with another host, SiteGround will
transfer your website over to your new hosting package completely
free. This not only saves you time but many potential headaches
down the line.
I've transferred MANY websites from host-to-host in my day and
there is always one thing that creeps up and causes panic!
Nowadays I always opt to have them do it for me to free up my
time to work on my business or blog without worry.
2. Fast Setup
If you're completely new to WordPress or you're looking to get
started with a fresh install, then the “WordPress Launch” feature of
SiteGround is just what you need.
You can install WP at the click of a button and the additional launch
features mean you can have a website up and running within
minutes.
3. Actively Managed Security & Updates
If there is one thing to be concerned about with a website, then it's
cybersecurity. Having a website with the latest theme & plugin
updates is a must these days as bugs and security-loopholes are
found and plugged almost on a daily basis.
Thankfully you don't have to keep up-to-date all by yourself, with
SiteGround you get a service which will manage the security of both

your website and the servers they're hosted on.
By running patch xed and automatically updating your website to
the latest software versions, means you're website will always be
one step ahead of the competition.
4. Customer Care & Support
From time to time you will no doubt need to speak to someone for
a little tech help, and with their 24/7 support service available via
live chat, phone or support ticket, you're never far away from a
helping hand.
Their support sta have excellent knowledge of WordPress so
when it comes to speeding up your website, they're a great
resource to use too.
5. Website Backups
There are a few ways to backup your WordPress website, one of
which I mentioned right at the start of this guide, which is
UpDraftPlus. This is something you have to manually set up and
run yourself but it does add to the growing list of tasks us website
owners have.
The preferred and automated option is to have your host do it for
you. SiteGround o ers daily backups of your website les and
database for 30-days. So if you make a mistake, your site is
attacked or a plugin or line of code breaks your website – you have
30 backup points to choose from.
You can simply redeploy your website back to its former glory as if
nothing ever happened.

7. Staging Environment
Unfortunately, when working with websites, themes, and plugins,
errors do occur, even with a robust CMS (Content Management
System) like WordPress. Which is why it's always a good idea to
create a separate version of your website when you make changes
and try out new things.
This is what is known as a staging environment and have been used
by developers for years to great e ect. However, you no longer
need to be a programmer to take advantage of this time and
website-saving technique.
By deploying a staging environment right from your SiteGround
dashboard, you get an exact replica of your website to try things
before you implement them on the live version.
Then, once happy, you can simply push those changes over to the
live version of your website.
8. SSL Certiﬁcates
This is an important step in having your website trusted by the
search engines. An SSL certi cate is a must in 2019 and beyond and
any website without one will su er in their website ranking
positions in the SERP's through a lack of trust.
An SSL certi cate, which, put simply, adds an “s” to your domain
pre x, changing it from “http” to “https” and means that the user's
connection is secure).
These certi cates cost anywhere from $5 to hundreds of dollar per
year. However, with SiteGround, you get a free SSL certi cate that
can be set up in one-click by using the LetsEncrypt service.

Click Here For My Recommended Web Hosting –
SiteGround
Special Discount for BitsFromBytes readers with SiteGround – my
trusted hosting provider for over 7-years.
They o er incredible speeds, 24/7 support and will transfer your
website for you.
WPX Hosting
WPX is my 2nd option when it comes to hosting as they o er a few
extra features and are designed for high-tra c or websites with a
large database.
OPEN SITEGROUND IN A NEW WINDOW

Business – $20.83
/mon
5-Websites
10GB Storage
Professional- $41.85
/mon
15-Websites
20GB Storage
Elite- $83.25 /mon
35-Websites
40GB Storage
This very website is hosted with WPX due to its size and monthly tra c
numbers, however, our humble beginnings started with SiteGround
and their packages were more than suitable for a long time and we
still have side projects for which we use SiteGround.
WPX Package & Pricing
As I mentioned above, you do get more for your money with WPX
being a premium WordPress focused web host. Which is why their
pricing is higher but comparable with other services out there.
They o er 3 packages, each o ering something a little di erent
depending on your needs:

100GB
Bandwidth
WPX Cloud
CDN
200GB
Bandwidth
WPX Cloud
CDN
Unlimited
Bandwidth
WPX Cloud
CDN

WPX Features – What Makes Them Great?
You get a lot for your money when it comes to the WPX WordPress
Hosting Packages. below are 5 of the main reasons why we chose
to upgrade our hosting solution with them.
1. Ridiculously Fast Support
If there is one thing WPX are known for and I see mentioned time
and time again it's their customer support and response times.
They boast “30-second support” on their sales page and it's not a
lie. Many times we've submitted support tickets and their response
has been almost immediate.
2. Integrated CDN
Late in 2018 WPXHosting released their very own Content Delivery
Network (CDN), which is another step in improving the website
sped and performance for all customers. This was developed and
implemented at no extra cost…another things WPX is well-known
for.
3. Free Website Migration Service
As with SiteGround, WPX o ers a completely free service to migrate
your existing website(s) over to their servers. Even if you have
multiple websites and databases, simply provide them the details
in the support ticket once you sign up and they will take it from
there.

This all happens with 24-hours so you're set up and running in no
time.
4. Free SSL's
With each plan comes unlimited FREE SSL certi cates, so no matter
how many domain names you have or websites you host, it will not
cost you any extra.
5. Malware Scanning & Removal
WPX are so con dent that the steps they have implemented to
secure their servers and your website will be more than su cient,
they are o ering free Malware Removal if your site is hacked. This
is on top of the DDoS Protection, Malware scans, rewalls, and
spam protection to name a few of the measures they've taken.
3. Use latest PHP version (7.3)
PHP is simply a language that was designed speci cally for web
development. Whilst you don't need to understand PHP or how it
works, you should know that WordPress uses PHP as it's ‘language' of
choice.
The hosting company you choose should o er the very latest version
of PHP. There are a number of reasons why some companies will use
an outdated version, namely the cost to implement and ensuring that
all websites hosted on the server will support the newest version.
Currently, SiteGround is currently running the latest PHP version of
7.3.

4. Setting Up a Cache Plugin
A Cache plugin may sound like a scary thing to set up, especially if
you're new to WordPress speed optimization or simply not that tech-
savvy. However, fear not, there is a plugin you can use that simply
many of the steps we need to take and I will provide you with the exact
setting you need to make your website blazing fast.
WP Rocket

WP-Rocket is my #1 choice when it comes to cache plugins for a
number of reasons. The primary reason being is that it does the job of
3-4 plugins you would otherwise need, saving you from a bloated
WordPress plugin portfolio.
This plugin had the 2nd largest impact on improving my site speed
(after getting better hosting) and works with minimal con guration
right out of the box.
What makes WP Rocket stand out from the crowd is their excellent
user interface, where each setting is displayed clearly and with helpful
tips to ensure you know just what each setting does.
If you can a ord the $49 for WP Rocket then it is well worth it just for
the amount of time you will save having to manually perform
improvements to your website les. WP Rocket will solve speed issues
it would take at least 3-4 other plugins to x alone.

In addition, if you've used a cache plugin before, you are no doubt
aware of how complicated they can be. Many fans of W3 Total Cache
have made the switch over to WP Rocket for the simplicity of the setup
and the improved performance it delivers for their websites.
Here are some recent Facebook Polls so you can see what other
experts think about WP Rocket.

W3TotalCache
This is the free alternative (although they do have a premium version if
you'd prefer the more advanced options). It can integrate with a CDN
and perform many of the tasks that are needed to give your
WordPress site a speed boost.
5. Setting Up A CDN (Content Delivery Network)
A CDN or Content Delivery Network will take your website and store
cached versions of each le (page, images, CSS etc) and distribute
them across their entire network of servers.
Then, when a user visits your website, the closest server to them in
terms of Geo-location will serve them the required les. Since the
distance the data must travel has been shortened and the le versions

are cached (smaller), the user gets a much better experience as they
get a website that loads much, much faster.
Using a CDN is a no-brainer when it comes to speeding up your
website. There are two options when it comes to a CDN, Free and Paid.
As with most things tech, the paid option usually comes with more
features, however, in this case, the free option if more than suitable
and you should only really consider the paid version if you absolutely
need additional control and features and if your website demands it.
CloudFlare (Free)
CloudFlare is the go-to for most people looking for a free way to speed
up their websites.
CloudFlare Speed Settings
There are a few settings we can enable to get even more from
CloudFlare, and they're all free. Head to the “Speed” tab to nd these
settings.
First up we have the Auto Minify options for JavaScript, CSS, and
HTML.

Next, we can enable Accelerated Mobile Links, which is designed to
enhance mobile visitor’s experience.

Finally, we have Rocket Loader™, which is another CloudFlare tool to
improve page load time and performance that contain JavaScript.
Be sure to check that your website is fully functioning if using this
setting. We had to disable it due to a clash with the page builder we
use.

Cloudﬂare Hotlink Protection
Hotlink protection prevents other webmasters from taking ‘hotlinking'
to your images. This means that when we choose to use one of your
images you have uploaded to your website, they cannot display that
image on their website and have you host that image. They will have
to take the time to download the image and then upload it to their
own server.
Which then brings up the copyright issue…which we will leave for
another day!
From your CloudFlare dashboard, head to the far right icon in the
navigation menu named “Scrape Shield” and activate this setting.
6. Use a Lightweight Theme
Ah themes, I love nothing more than trying out new WordPress
themes, seeing how to look and feel to work with. There is a never
ending supply of themes both on the WordPress Marketplace or from
3rd party sources such as ThemeForest, StudioPress and XXX.
Theme developers have taken to bundling up many of the features
you previously had to install additional plugins for. Things such as
custom CSS styling, 1001 fonts, fancy sliders, and integrated social
sharing options.
The trouble comes when you use a theme with so many ‘bells and
whistles' that it can actually increase your websites load time
dramatically.

So what's the best option for a fast & lightweight WordPress theme?
GeneratePress
To get the fastest possible website speeds, we opted to run the
GeneratePress theme on this website, due to its exibility, lightning-
fast load speeds and because it's so easy to customize.
GenratePress is a great framework to use as a basis for your website.
Out of the box, it loads extremely fast and from there you can build
out any type of website you desire. From a simple blog to a
membership site, a forum or even a full e-commerce site.
GeneratePress is relatively new to the scene when compared to other,
more established products, however, they have made a name for
themselves by having a tight focus on speed, an excellent support
forum and actually listening to customers problems and coming up
with solutions.
Click here to see GeneratePress in action
StudioPress

The next and very popular option is the Genesis Framework from
StudioPress. They have honed their skills over many years to become
one of, if not the most recognized WordPress theme framework.
There are a few options to getting set up with Genesis. The rst of
which is their Free Framework. From there you can either go all out
and purchase their entire theme collections so you can swap and
change until you nd a design that suits your needs.
Alternatively, you can use their theme nder to locate a speci c theme
and purchase a single theme license.
If you have multiple websites then the package deal gives you the best
bang for your buck, for single site users, I would opt for a single theme
license.
Spotted a design you like?
If you've found a website you believe to be running WordPress, there
is a neat way of nding out what theme they are using so you can pick
it up for yourself. WhatWPThemeIsThat.com is a quick way to check
rst of all if they are indeed running on the WordPress CMS (over 30%
of all websites now use WordPress so it's a high possibility!).
This tool will also tell you which theme it has detected and also which
plugins are being used. This is a great way to get ideas and see what
your competitors are doing, so you can do the same or avoid their
pitfalls should they have a slow loading website.
Click here to see Genesis Framework in action
7. Optimize Images
Images are HUGE when it comes to reducing website load time, get
this bit right and you will be up there with the fastest websites online.

Many people think that you can just upload an image to WordPress
and be done with it…however, there are many steps you can take to
ensure you only upload optimized images that load correctly, are the
correct size and le format so that your readers get the best possible
experience and the fastest loading websites they're ever seen!
There are a number of steps to optimizing your images for speed,
once you have this process down it will become second nature.
Saving Images In The Correct Format
First up we have image le formats, which will typically be .png, .jpg,
.jpeg and .svg. Each serves its own purpose, some are better than
others and knowing which to use when is important.
Your logo will typically be a .png (Portable Network Graphics) image
which allows for a transparent background and a nice look to your
branding. a .svg le format can also be used which can reduce the le
size, however, .png les are pretty small anyway and making this
change can be done once you've mastered all of the other steps on
this guide.
For the bulk of your images, you're going to want to use the .jpg le
format. This format o ers the small le size and they compress down
with lossless compression very easily (as explained shortly).
That's it, remember these two rules and your image size issues will
start to become a thing of the past.
Serving Correctly Scaled Images
Uploading images of 2,000px wide is a sure re way to wreak havoc on
your site speed. When your browser has to load an image that is twice
a large as it will ever be displayed on your website, it's no wonder user
experience will su er.

So image dimensions play a big part in the whole ‘image-optimization'
process.
WordPress has built-in settings to create multiple le sizes whenever
you upload an image. This helps to display the correct size when
required, however, I prefer to resize my images to the maximum size I
will need. This avoids using up excess server space and having to
upload larger than required le sizes.
I use PicResize.com (free) to upload my images and set the required
dimensions, make the changes and download the image before
compression (see below).
Specify Image Dimensions
Images on your website can have their height and width speci ed to
help servers read and understand them better, which results in faster
load time. GTMetrix will advise which images are missing these image
dimensions so you can x them.
Compress Images
Compressing your images is a step that should be a part of your
publication routine. Each image you include in your posts/pages
should be optimized BEFORE uploading to WordPress, and there are a
number of ways to achieve this.
First is WPSmush a WordPress plugin with free and paid options, next
we have Optimzilla and the third option is compressor.io, both of

these are free to use tools that will compress the size of your images.
You can choose 2 types of compression, Lossless or Lossy. Lossy will
slightly reduce the nal image quality but results in smaller le size
and lossless will maintain quality but still reduce the le size, albeit
with a larger le size…it's your call.
8. Lazy Load all Images/Videos/Iframes
Lazy loading means to only show/load your images on a webpage as
the user requires them. For instance, if you have 10 images on a page,
as the user scrolls down to read your content each image will load as it
is needed. This saves a huge amount of time as images and videos are
one of the biggest culprits when it comes to a slow WordPress website.
WP Rocket can take care of the lazy loading for you by checking just 3-
boxes:
Be sure to test your site in incognito mode after making these changes
to make sure that all elements do load and that you're happy with the
user experience.

There is also the Lazy-Load-For-Videos plugin you can use to achieve
the same results.
9. Minify your JavaScript and CSS ﬁles
A word of caution on this one, performing this step can temporarily
mess up your website frontend. If this happens you can simply revert
back or undo your previous changes. I recommend you change/enable
one element at a time and see how your website looks.
Just remember to use an incognito session, or clear your cache and
history so you get the very latest version of your website.
If you're using WP Rocket as recommended above, then the steps are
quite simple
If you're using another caching plugin and need additional plugins to
make these changes I recommend the following:

Autoptimize
WPSmush
WP-Optimize
I stated above, WP Rocket removed the need for all 3 of the above
plugins, hence why it's a better choice for those serious about
speeding up WordPress and of course if you can a ord the $49 price
tag.
10. Update To The Latest Version of WordPress
One of the main bene ts of WordPress is that it is actively maintained
and constantly improved and updated. Hardly a few weeks will go by
without seeing the “WordPress Update” message at the top of your
WP-Admin Dashboard.
By updating your site to the latest version you will ensure that your
site is free from known security bugs that can be exploited by hackers,
and also supports most plugins & themes available on the market.
Since technology advances at such a pace these days, having the latest
version of WordPress is an absolute must. Recent WordPress released
the Gutenberg update, which was a huge change in how the post/page
interface operated. It was met by some backlash from the community.
Once you've got the latest version installed, if you don't like how it
functions and want to go back to the standard interface, there is a free

plugin you can install aptly called Disable Gutenberg. Install this and
you're all set.
11. Make Fewer HTTP Requests
You will likely notice that Pingdom suggests that you should “Make
fewer HTTP requests”. When I rst started with the speed optimization
of our website we score an “F”…for FAIL!
When it comes to HTTP requests, the fewer the better. Things that can
a ect the number of requests that have to be made to render the
page are multiple CSS les, JS (JavaScript) les, and external fonts etc.
We can combine CSS & JS les using WPRocket, Autoptimize or
CloudFlare. The rst 2 options have built-in settings to reduce the
number of les required by the server, with CloudFlare you can check
out this article to see how to do it.
12. Database Cleanup
This used to be a tricky step since your database is something you will
never see unless you like to get your hands dirty with PHP and SQL.
Your database is the engine of the website and must have regular
checkups, just like a car.
Whenever you make a change in your WordPress dashboard, such as
create or deleting a page or post, installing a plugin, creating or
deleting user accounts etc, the database creates new lines of data to
record those actions.
Over time, the database gets clogged up with entries that are simply
no longer required. So the next step we will take is to cleanse our
database (engine) and have it humming along like a brand new vehicle.

If you're using WP-Rocket then head over to the “Database” tab. From
there we can perform the following steps with ease. You can also
install a plugin called WPOptimize which can do the same thing,
however, that is one additional plugin we don't really need.
1. Post Revisions – These are regular backups of your WordPress
posts that are saved to prevent you from losing any changes
you've made should your connection hang or your website goes
o ine.

2. Auto-Drafts – WordPress will auto-save your post/page as you
are editing. If you don't hit the publish/update button, then the
post will be saved as an auto-draft.
3. Trashed Posts – these are simply posts/pages where you've
sent them to the trash. Clean these up as they are no longer
needed as use up valuable space.
4. Spam & Trashed Comments – Another thing we can remove
from the database since we hate Spam and no longer require
any comments sent to trash.
5. Transients – These are temporary settings saved in the
database by WordPress and the plugins you use. They're auto-
regenerated as needed so old ones can be safely removed.
I recommend setting up either WP-Rocket or WPOptimize to
automatically run a database clean up regularly. By ensuring that your
hosting company o ers free backups, you can set this up safely and
not risk losing any data.
13. Avoid using sliders for better speed and
conversions
Sliders are so very last year. In recent years gone by, the WordPress
Theme market was inundated with “Magazine” style themes that had
fancy homepage builders built in.

You could have a website that looked just as good as some of the huge
news and media outlets, for a fraction of the price. The downside was
having an incredibly slow website that's to sliders and fancy image CSS
that simply isn't needed.
Not only are sliders outdated and slow down your website, but they
can also a ect CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) as this study
reveals. So if you're using them, I'd highly recommend switching to a
simpler theme such as GeneratePress and bringing your site up-to-
date in 2019.
14. Disable WordPress features with WP Disable
If you're experiencing a slow WordPress admin dashboard then this
section could x that. There are many features that come packaged
with your WordPress install that goes unused by most. By using a tool
like WPDisable, you can remove these features and speed up the front
and backend of WordPress.
Here are my recommended settings, however, feel free to keep some
of the features you like of your site:
Requests Tab

Enable the following:
Disable Emojis
Remove Querystrings
Disable Google Maps
Disable Referral Spam
Minimize requests and load Google Fonts asynchronous
Minimize requests and load Font Awesome asynchronous
Disable WordPress password strength meter js on non-related
pages
Disable Dashicons when user disables admin toolbar when
viewing site
Tags Tab

Remove RSD (Really Simple Discovery) tag
Remove Shortlink Tag
Remove WordPress API from header
Remove Windows Live Writer tag
Remove WordPress Generator Tag
Admin Tab

Posts revisions number (set to 5)
Disable admin notices
Disable author pages
Heartbeat frequency (set to 60 seconds) – optional
Heartbeat locations (Disable Everywhere) – optional
SEO Tab
Remove Yoast SEO comment from head section
Remove duplicate names in breadcrumbs WP SEO by Yoast
Disable pingbacks and trackbacks
Disable XML-RPC
Enable spam comments cleaner
Delete spam comments (set to once weekly)
15. Reduce The Number of Plugins
This one is pretty straight forward if you don't use a plugin or you can
install a single plugin to do the job of 2 or more then do it. Fewer
plugins make for a faster WordPress website.

For example, WordPress comes pre-loaded with a couple of plugins,
these can go straight away. Then there are those plugins you installed
as they looked cool, but do you actually use them? Can you replace
their functionality with a simple tweak to your custom functions.php
le?
Really trimming the number of plugins down will help you towards
your goal of a blazing fast website.
16. Plugins to Avoid
Some plugins are known to have high CPU usage and cause an
unnecessary drain on your server. Some hosting providers even
struggle with the demand some of these plugins require. This is
sometimes down to poorly optimized code, and other times they o er
more features than we need (JetPack for example). Avoid these
WordPress plugins if you can for a slicker WP dashboard and front
end.
AddThis
Backup Buddy
Broken Link Checker
Beaver Builder
Contact Form 7
Divi Builder
Dynamic Related Posts
Essential Grid
Google XML Sitemaps
Jetpack
LayerSlider
NextGEN Gallery
Revolution Slider
S2Member

ShareThis
Similar Posts
SumoMe
VaultPress
WP Bakey
WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin)
WP Statistics
Yet Another Related Posts Plugin
17. Disable Comments
This is an optional tip as 50% of you reading this will have websites
where pages/posts get zero comments and others may rely on them
to engage with your readers and immerse yourself in the community.
If the latter if you, you can move on to the next step. For those of you
who don't really care for or need comments on your content,
implementing this step can remove the unnecessary drag on your
page's performance.
1. First head to settings –> discussion from your WordPress
Dashboard
2. Make the changes show in the image below to disable
comments on each new page/post created
3. For existing posts/pages, you will need to use the “Quick Edit”
function to turn comments o
4. You can override individual posts/pages the same way using the
“Quick Edit” link
5. If you are turning o comments, you should also disable avatars
too from the same page located at settings –> discussion

18. Gravatars – To Use or Not To Use?
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous step of disabling comments.
I don't really see the need for Gravatars on most websites. They ‘re an
attempt to bring a ‘social' element to websites but with the likes of
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram etc, do we really need it? Isn't a name
enough to identify who is commenting?
By tuning o Avatars you will save time on your load speed, especially
if your site has a lot of comments. The following are a few steps you
can take to speed up your site when it comes to Gravatars.
Remove the Gravatar image completely (both WP Rocket &
WPDisable have this option)
Use a blank Gravatar image
Use Optimum Gravatar Cache is you still need Gravatars
19. Disable Google Maps

Google Maps will typically be used on local services websites or on
your business website. The common way to use them is to have a
small map load in the website footer on every page.
Despite this only being a small map, they are known to cause delays in
load time, so it's best to completely remove the maps or just display
one on your Contact/About Us page where it makes sense. You can
always keep your address in the footer in text format.
If you followed step XX and installed WPDisable, you can turn o
Google Maps in WordPress via the “Requests” tab. You can also add
individual pages where you'd like to enable Google Maps (e.g the
contact or about pages).
20. Disable Emojis
Let your smartphone handle the emojis, not your website, they take
time to render and are not essential. There are two ways to remove
emoticons, the rst is manual:
Option1 – Manually – Place the code below inside your functions.php
le. If you do not have one of these, you should look to create a child
theme and set up a new functions.php le where you can add custom
code to improve performance. I would advise against placing any code
within your core theme functions.php le, as the next time there is a
theme update from the developer, you will lose any changes you have
made to those core les.
Option 2 – WPDisable – As mention in site speed tips #14 above, you
can use the WPDisable plugin to remove emojis easily via the
“Requests” tab.
21. Defer Parsing Of JavaScript

Each script your website loads will add to your load speed. By reducing
the number of scripts required AND having them load at the very end
of the process, you can massively reduce load time.
By deferring the parsing of JavaScript les, you delay them until the
end at the bottom of the website, only to be used when they are
needed…after all of the other vital elements have loaded.
You can use this code to defer JS les in your custom functions.php we
discussed above in step #15.
function defer_parsing_of_js ( $url ) {
if ( FALSE === strpos( $url, '.js' ) ) return $url;
if ( strpos( $url, 'jquery.js' ) ) return $url;
return "$url' defer ";
}
add_filter( 'clean_url', 'defer_parsing_of_js', 11, 1 );
If you prefer to use a plugin (not recommended) then you could use
WP Deferred JavaScript or Async JavaScript to achieve the same
result.
22. Adding Expires Headers
By adding expires headers to your .htaccess le, les such as CSS, JS,
and images etc become cache-able, meaning they can be recalled
much quicker rather than loading anew each time they are requested
by a website visitor.
If you have WP Rocket installed then the hard work has already been
done for you, just activating this plugin will add the necessary code to
your .htaccess le automatically.
If you're not using WP Rocket you can add expires headers manually
following this guide on GTMetrix.

23. Remove Query Strings From Static Resources
Static resources such as JS and CSS les are often assigned a version
ID via themes & plugins, these are pre xed by a “?” question mark
which is what GTMetrix is referring too by “query strings”.
Luckily for us, there are a few easy solutions to remove them.
WPRocket, W3TotalCache, and WPDisable all have built-in features you
can use to remove the query strings from static resources on your site.
Be sure to re-run your speed tests afterward and you should see a
reduction in load time, the number of HTTP requests and the above
score should have jumped up to at least an A or B rating.
24. Minimize Redirects
Redirects occur when a URL is directed to an alternative URL. This
often happens when you upgrade to an SSL certi cate (HTTP) but have
images or les that are using the non-SSL URL path (HTTP). You can
quickly x this by adding the additional “S” into the URL.
Sometimes, there could be an issue in your .htaccess le, especially if
you are pushing all www. tra c to the non-www version of your site.
Also, if you have any 301 redirects in your .htaccess le, ensure that
you are not sending the same URL to multiple variations. These are
also called landing page redirects.
E.g https://mydomain.com/old-page/ should only point to /new-page/
and nowhere else. Having too many redirects will slow down

WordPress and could result in a never-ending loop if you're not
careful.
25. Find Your Slowest Loading Pages
Some pages will load slower than others, things such as the number of
words, images, videos, and iFrames etc can all result in a page which
loads well above the desired 3-seconds.
To identify these pages we can use our Google Analytics, or a free 3rd
party software called ScreamingFrog. Personally, I prefer the latter as
I've found a large di erence in what Google Analytics provides and I
prefer the ScreamingFrog interface.
Either way you choose is ne, the idea is to get an idea for which
individual pages are causing an issue and to x them by running them
through our 3-tools (GTMetrix, Pingdom and PageSpeed Insights from
Google). From there you can begin to implement xes as
recommended in this guide.
FAQ's – Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will nd some of the most asked questions we get when it
comes to WordPress Speed Optimization
Why is WordPress so slow?
Quick Answer – Web hosting, theme, plugins, and image sizes are the
basics reasons why your WordPress site is so slow. There are many
other aspects (covered in this guide) that will help you to speed up
your website and optimize its performance.
Start your 25-step journey to a faster WordPress website.
What is the best WordPress caching plugin?

In Step 6 of this WordPress speed optimization guide, we revealed our
recommended cache plugin for slow loading WordPress sites WP-
Rocket.
The alternative is W3TotalCache who o er both a free and paid
version of their plugin.
Which is the best hosting for WordPress?
We cover this in length in step 2 of this guide, however, we
recommend 2 web hosting companies based on our experience and
the overall sentiment of the WordPress community.
SiteGround – For fast and reliable web hosting recommended by
WordPress themselves and the wider community.
WPXHosting – For a managed WordPress hosting package with
additional features such as built-in CDN, excellent customer support
and additional websites.
Can I speed up my WordPress site without a
plugin?
The short answer to this is Yes. You can speed up WordPress without
using any plugins, however, it will require some technical skill and
knowledge.
If you have experience create WordPress child themes and working
with custom functions.php les, then you should de nitely be able to
optimize the website by placing a few pieces of code in the right
places.
The main issue comes down to time. Plugins make our jobs easier and
much, much quicker. Whilst our team does have some great technical
expertise, we often seek out a ready-made plugin to see if we can get
the job done in 1/10th of the time, before we go digging with code.

If you're comfortable with PHP and are looking to get your hands dirty
then steps 9, 12, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 of the guide above are just
some of the tasks you can do manually with a bit of coding knowledge.
Wrapping It Up
Hopefully, by now you've managed to gure out why is WordPress so
slow and x those issues your website had. I'd love to hear about your
successes (and failures) in the comments section below, I'm here to
help anyone who is struggling or has a speci c question not covered in
this guide.
If you would prefer this guide in a short and snappy video form watch
below.
How to Fix a Slow WordPress Site & Get Blazing Fast SpeedsHow to Fix a Slow WordPress Site & Get Blazing Fast Speeds
BitsFromBytes is Your Guide to the Best Software and Tech.
For the complete guide visit - https://bitsfrombytes.com/why-is-wordpress-slow/

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