This document provides a guide to optimizing WordPress for improved website speed, covering general tips, plugins, themes, caching, content delivery networks (CDN), images, and database management. Key recommendations include keeping WordPress and its components updated, managing plugins wisely, selecting responsive themes, and utilizing caching and optimization tools. The document also suggests resources for further learning on WordPress optimization.

1. Introduction to Optimizing
WordPress for Website Speed
Nile Flores
@blondishnet
http://blondish.net

2. Objective
A basic guide to help you
to optimize WordPress for
a better user experience.

3. Areas that this presentation will cover:
❏ General tips
❏ Plugins
❏ Themes
❏ Cache
❏ CDN
❏ Images
❏ Database

4. In the beginning...
WordPress was slick
when you first installed it,
but adding a theme,
plugins, and content just
makes it slow down.

5. Updates are important!
Keep WordPress core, themes, and plugins up-
to-date.
Some updates actually include speeding up
certain areas of your site.

6. Optimization: Plugins

7. Plugins: Use what you need
Deactivate plugins that you’re not using.

8. Use Plugins Responsibly
You can use as many
plugins as you want, but if it’
s breaking your website, or
even slowing down your
website, then perhaps it’s
time for a plugin diet.

9. Plugin Organizer
For those who can’t code, this allows you to
control what plugins can run globally, or on
specific post types (posts, pages, custom post
types.)
https://wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-organizer/

10. Optimization: Themes

11. Theme Choosing
❏ Sometimes too many theme options may be
a bad thing.
❏ Don’t forget to choose a responsive theme!
❏ Don’t be afraid to test the theme for speed
on a beta or development site.

12. Website Speed Testers
Pingdom - http://tools.pingdom.com/fpt/
GTMetrix - http://gtmetrix.com
Google PageSpeed - https://developers.google.
com/speed/pagespeed/
WebPagetest - http://www.webpagetest.org/

14. Cache Plugin
W3 Total Cache - http://bit.ly/O6hDMy
WP Super Cache - http://bit.ly/1nywhqg
WPRocket (premium) - http://wp-rocket.me/
There are a lot more out there. Google
“Recommended Settings…” to help set up your
Cache Plugin

15. Wait...
That last slide… please
be careful. Most of the
cache plugins shouldn’t
be combined.
#notallthethings

16. CDN
❏ Cloudflare - http://cloudflare.com
❏ MaxCDN - http://maxcdn.com
A content delivery network or content distribution network (CDN) is a
large distributed system of servers deployed in multiple data centers
across the Internet. - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_delivery_network

17. Optimization: Your Host
Look for or ask if the web host has or offers:
❏ Memcache
❏ Varnish Cache
❏ APC/ OpCache
❏ “Website Booster”

18. Optimization: Images
A CDN helps, but you may want to use a plugin
like WP Smush to strip out all the extra stuff,
and overall, reduces file size.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-smushit/

19. Optimization: Database
WP-Optimize - http://bit.ly/1FnSMu5
❏ Repair and Optimize Tables
❏ Remove extra revisions
❏ Remove trashed comments
…. and much much more!

20. Wanna Optimize More?
If you’re code savvy, or just want to learn more, here’s
some great resources on Optimizing WordPress:
❏ Codex: WordPress Optimization - http://bit.ly/1JzVEHd
❏ WordPress Optimization Guide - http://bit.ly/1dkctde
❏ How to Optimize WordPress for Better Performance - http://bit.
ly/1PwXwVY
❏ Battle of the Image Compression WordPress Plugins - http://bit.
ly/1HUFQi5
❏

21. Nile Flores
http://blondish.net
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