Unlock lightning-fast WordPress performance: Expert tuning strategies

Repair 8 common issues through performance tuning

You don’t automatically have performance tuning features pre-installed when you run a self-hosted WordPress site. That means you’ll need to take those steps on your own. Here’s how.

1. Ensure your host is optimized for WordPress

Working with an optimized WordPress host is a huge benefit. Being optimized means they’re experts on WordPress sites.

To find out if your host is optimized for WordPress, ask:

• Does the host have browser caching enabled?
• Will they use a CDN by default?
• Do they scan and protect your site against WordPress-specific hacks?

2. Clean up plugins

Plugins add functionality and features to your site. The myriad of plugins available is one of the perks of running a self-hosted WordPress site. But, unfortunately, plugins also can slow down your site.

To clean up your site’s plugins:

• Check usage. Make sure you’re using the plugins you enabled on your site. If not, uninstall them.
• Review compatibility and updates. Check to be sure the plugins you kept are still compatible with the WordPress version you’re running and that they’re updated regularly. If the plug-in isn’t updated regularly, they could have bugs. These bugs can slow down your site and make it vulnerable to attack.

3. Consider multimedia elements

You want to work with a host that uses a content delivery network, as described above, if your site includes a lot of multimedia. That’s because load times differ based on distance from servers.

When your site is located far away from a server, just compressing your images isn’t enough to ensure fast loading time.

A CDN has servers located around the world, storing unchanging (static) files from websites. These static files mean the webpage doesn’t have to be loaded completely every time, and the server doesn’t have to do as much work. Thus, a CDN ensures that load time is fast, regardless of where you are.

In addition to using a host with a CDN, use PNG files when possible. PNGs are of higher quality and easier to compress. Also, be sure to compress your photos before you upload them to your site. Compressing photos and using a CDN will help your site load quickly. We also recommend utilisation a cloud-based image and video management platform like Cloudinary, which can be integrated with your WordPress site.

4. Check redirects

Did you recently rebuild or audit your site? If so, you may have removed pages or posts. If you didn’t correctly set redirects, you’re likely to lose out on traffic until you fix them.

You should review the new site after a rebuild or migration to make sure the URLs go to the correct pages and identify any broken links. You also should look for redirects that create chains because those slow down your site.

5. Ensure security

Your hosting company needs to be WordPress optimized to avoid hacks and security breaches.

To ensure that your WordPress site is secure, ask your hosting company about:

• Automatic updates. Ask your hosting company if they run automatic WordPress updates. If so, make sure you are notified of any updates.
• Security scans. Find out if they regularly run website scans to discover and repair security holes.
• SSL certificates. Ask if they include SSL certificates for free with a site.
• Auto repairs. Can they fix any issues they discover automatically? You want to make sure this happens because unresolved issues put your website at risk.
• Backups. Ask if the host company will back up your site. If so, be sure to find out how often. It’s standard for a hosting company to back up your site daily. These backups allow your site to be restored to a recent version if something happens.

6. Optimize your database

Think of your WordPress database as a digital storage room. Over time, this space fills up with items you no longer need, making it harder to find what you’re actually looking for. Your WordPress database works the same way, collecting digital clutter that can seriously slow down your site.

WordPress databases naturally accumulate unnecessary data as your site grows. Every time someone leaves a spam comment, WordPress saves a draft revision, or a plugin stores temporary information, your database gets a little heavier. This digital mess includes:

• Spam comments that clog up your comment tables.
• Multiple post revisions that pile up every time you edit content.
• Transient data from plugins that should have expired long ago.
• Orphaned metadata with no connected posts or pages.
• Trashed posts and pages that never got permanently deleted.

When your database becomes bloated with this unnecessary information, it takes longer for WordPress to find and retrieve the data it actually needs.

The solution is surprisingly straightforward: spring cleaning for your database. Regular database maintenance removes all that digital clutter and helps your site run like new again. You can tackle this cleanup in several ways:

Manual cleanup approach. Log into your WordPress admin area and manually delete spam comments, empty your trash, and limit post revisions. While this works, it’s time-consuming and easy to forget.

Automated cleanup tools. Smart website owners use plugins like WP-Optimize or Advanced Database Cleaner to handle the heavy lifting. These tools scan your database, identify unnecessary data, and remove it safely. They can even run automatic cleanups on a schedule you set.

Advanced caching solutions. If your site gets lots of traffic, consider implementing object caching with systems like Redis or Memcached. These powerful tools store frequently requested database information in your server’s memory, which means faster access and less strain on your database.

The beauty of database optimization is that you’ll notice results immediately. Pages load faster, your admin dashboard responds quicker, and your hosting resources work more efficiently. It’s like giving your website a performance boost without spending extra money on premium hosting or expensive plugins.

7. Optimize your code and assets

Your website’s code files are like the engine under your car’s hood – when they’re running efficiently, everything performs beautifully. But when they’re bogged down with unnecessary elements, your site crawls along like a car that needs a tune-up.

Unoptimized code files create a significant drag on your website’s performance. Every extra space, comment, and redundant line of code adds weight that your visitors’ browsers must download and process. Imagine trying to read a book where every page was filled with random notes, crossed-out words, and unnecessary spacing – that’s exactly what browsers experience with unoptimized code.

The good news is that streamlining your code doesn’t require programming expertise. Modern optimization techniques can transform your site’s performance with just a few smart adjustments:

• Implement minification for leaner files. Minification removes all the unnecessary characters from your CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files without affecting how they function. Think of it as removing all the extra spaces and comments from your code – like editing a rough draft into a polished final version. Your files become smaller and load faster, but they work exactly the same way.
• Combine files to reduce server requests. Instead of forcing browsers to download dozens of separate CSS and JavaScript files, combine them into just a few larger files. This dramatically reduces the number of requests your server needs to handle. It’s like consolidating multiple shopping trips into one efficient outing.
• Generate critical CSS for instant visual impact. Critical CSS focuses on the styles needed to display the content that visitors see immediately when your page loads (called “above-the-fold” content). By prioritizing this essential styling, your pages appear to load much faster, even while the rest of the content loads in the background.

Tools like Autoptimize or WP Rocket can handle these optimizations automatically, so you don’t need to manually edit code files. These plugins work behind the scenes, constantly optimizing your assets while you focus on creating great content.

8. Check your PHP version

Here’s a simple upgrade that can dramatically boost your site’s speed without changing anything about your content or design: updating your PHP version. PHP is the programming language that powers WordPress, and newer versions are significantly faster than older ones.

The performance improvements from modern PHP versions are honestly impressive. PHP 8.x can run up to three times faster than PHP 7.0 and older versions. That’s not a small improvement – it’s like upgrading from a bicycle to a motorcycle in terms of speed boost.

Most website owners have no idea which PHP version they’re currently running, but checking is surprisingly easy. Log into your hosting dashboard and look for a section about PHP settings or server information. You’ll find your current version listed there, along with options to upgrade if needed.

If you discover you’re not running at least PHP 8.0, an upgrade should be on your immediate to-do list. However, don’t rush into the change without doing a quick compatibility check first. Before upgrading, make sure your current theme and plugins work properly with the newer PHP version. Most modern themes and plugins support current PHP versions, but it’s worth verifying to avoid any unexpected issues.

The upgrade process itself is usually as simple as selecting the new version from a dropdown menu in your hosting control panel. Within minutes, your site could be running significantly faster, all thanks to more efficient underlying code.

How to test for performance

You wouldn’t drive your car for years without checking the oil or getting a tune-up, so why run your website without regular performance checkups? Testing your site’s speed is more than just a good practice; it’s essential for maintaining the user experience that keeps visitors coming back.

Regular performance testing helps you catch problems before they drive away potential customers. When your site starts slowing down, you want to know immediately, not after you’ve lost traffic and search engine rankings.

The best part about performance testing is that you don’t need expensive tools or technical expertise. Several free platforms provide detailed insights into how your site performs:

• Google PageSpeed Insights offers comprehensive analysis directly from the search engine that probably drives most of your traffic. It provides specific recommendations for improvement and shows how your site performs on both desktop and mobile devices.
• GTmetrix gives you detailed waterfall charts that show exactly which elements are slowing down your pages. It’s particularly helpful for identifying specific images, scripts, or plugins that need attention.
• WebPageTest provides advanced testing options, including the ability to test from different global locations and connection speeds. This helps you understand how your site performs for visitors around the world.

Pay special attention to Core Web Vitals metrics when reviewing your test results. These measurements – Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – directly impact your SEO rankings. Google uses these metrics to determine how user-friendly your site is, which affects where you appear in search results.

Set up regular monitoring to catch performance regressions early. Many testing tools offer automated reports that alert you when your site’s performance drops below acceptable levels. This proactive approach helps you address issues before they significantly impact your business.

Remember that performance testing isn’t a one-time task. Your site’s speed can change as you add new content, install plugins, or make design updates. Regular testing ensures that your optimization efforts continue paying off over time.