How to Speed Up WordPress: 19 Ways to Make Your Site Faster

A slow website is more than frustrating — it drives people away, lowers search rankings, and even hurts your revenue. 

The good news? 

Speeding up your WordPress site doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. With a few tweaks, you can optimize performance and provide a smoother, faster experience for your website visitors. 

In this guide, we’ll explore 19 ways to speed up your WordPress website. Plus, we’ll cover reasons to improve your site’s performance and suggest some tools to test the changes you’ve made. Let’s dive in!

How to speed up your WordPress website

If you’re ready to serve fast-loading pages, here’s how to supercharge your site for the long haul.

1. Install a one-click speed optimization plugin

The easiest way to instantly boost your site’s speed is with an optimization plugin like Jetpack Boost. This powerful tool includes several features to improve your loading times, including caching, which stores and serves copies of your content to returning visitors so they won’t need to load everything from scratch. 

Jetpack also instructs the browser to wait to run non-essential JavaScript until the rest of the page has loaded, and groups and minifies CSS scripts. We’ll take a closer look at these features later.

You can install the plugin for free. Then, simply go to Jetpack → Boost in the WordPress dashboard, scroll down to see the available optimization options, and use the toggles to enable each one.

With everything housed in one place, and very little configuration required, Jetpack Boost is perfect for WordPress beginners who want fast results without the hassle of complex configurations.

2. Install and configure a caching plugin

A caching plugin speeds up your WordPress site. It stores a static version of your website in the visitor’s browser, so it loads faster when they return. 

WP Super Cache is a trusted tool to handle this task. It generates static HTML files for browsers to store for returning visitors.

You can use WP Super Cache for free. Just remember: stick to one caching plugin at a time to avoid conflicts.

3. Reduce image file sizes

Large image files often slow down websites. These images take longer to retrieve, adding to your overall load times.

Ideally, you should compress images before uploading them to WordPress. Tools like ImageOptim make it easy to do this when first creating images.  

Additionally, consider using page speed-friendly formats like WebP, which offer smaller file sizes compared to JPEG or PNG. Smaller images load faster and reduce bandwidth usage.

Don’t worry if you’ve already uploaded large images to WordPress. You can easily resize your photos within the Media Library. Or, use Jetpack Boost to automatically optimize your existing images for performance. Jetpack Boost reduces image file sizes without sacrificing quality. 

4. Install an image CDN

Manually optimizing your images is a lot of work. Jetpack Boost also includes an image CDN.

A content delivery network (CDN) is a network of servers distributed across the world. When someone visits your site, the content loads from the server that’s closest to their location. This makes the page load faster for them. 

Jetpack’s image CDN automatically resizes your image to a suitable size and serves them in the modern WebP format. If your site is image-heavy, this saves a lot of time and work.

Enable the Image CDN by going to Jetpack → Boost and toggling on Image CDN.

5. Generate critical CSS

Critical CSS ensures content above the fold on your site — that is, what’s visible before scrolling  — loads quickly by prioritizing only what’s most necessary. 

Jetpack Boost generates Critical CSS for your pages, so visitors immediately see the most important content, while the rest of the page loads in the background.

Once again, enabling this feature is as simple as toggling on the option in WordPress. 

With the free version of Jetpack Boost, you’ll need to manually regenerate Critical CSS every time you make changes to your website. When you upgrade to a premium plan, Jetpack will automatically generate Critical CSS when needed. 

6. Defer parsing of non‑essential JavaScript

JavaScript files can slow down your site if loaded before the main content. As shown earlier, Jetpack enables you to defer the loading of non-essential JavaScript.

All you have to do is enable the relevant setting in Jetpack → Boost. 

These JavaScript files run once the page has loaded. This way, important elements, like images, are served to visitors more quickly. 

7. Minify and combine CSS and JavaScript

Minification involves removing unnecessary characters from your site’s code to reduce file sizes. It also groups scripts and styles to minimize the number of HTTP requests your site makes. Together, these optimizations streamline your site’s code and speed up load times.

Jetpack Boost includes settings to concatenate and minify both CSS and JavaScript.

Once you enable these settings, you’ll see an improvement in your load times. 

8. Enable GZIP compression in your .htaccess file

GZIP compression reduces the size of your site’s files before they’re delivered to visitors. Enable GZIP compression in your site’s .htaccess file or through a plugin like WP Super Cache (the easier option).

To find the .htaccess file, connect to your site’s directory via the File Manager in your hosting account, or by using a file transfer protocol (FTP) client like FileZilla. 

Then, locate the root directory (typically labeled public_html) and find the .htaccess file. Open it and add the following code before the # END WordPress line:

<IfModule mod_deflate.c>

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/plain

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/xml

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xml

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xhtml+xml

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/rss+xml

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-javascript

</IfModule>

When you’re done, save the file.

If you’re not comfortable editing site files in this way, enable GZIP compression with a plugin instead. 

WP Super Cache makes this easy. After installing the plugin, go to Settings → WP Super Cache → Advanced in your WordPress dashboard. Then, check the box for Compress pages so they’re served more quickly to visitors.

9. Limit post revisions in your wp-config.php file

WordPress saves several revisions of each post automatically. This bloats your database, especially if you have an active site that’s updated regularly. 

By limiting the number of revisions per post, your database stays minimal and your site gets a speed boost. 

To do this, access your wp-config.php file through your host’s File Manager or through an FTP client. Open the file (after creating a site backup) and add the following code:

`define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', 5);`

Now, WordPress will only keep the latest five versions of each post. Change 5 to any value that makes sense for your circumstances. 

10. Use system fonts or host fonts locally

Custom web fonts slow down your site, especially if they’re loaded from external sources. 

When your site needs to load fonts from third-party providers, it increases the risk of delays due to network latency and the potential downtime of external servers. Use system fonts like Arial, Helvetica, and Times New Roman, which are available on most devices and browsers. 

If you do need to use a custom font (perhaps for branding purposes), host it on your website rather than loading it from another source. 

Upload font files — common extensions for which include .woff, .woff2, .ttf, or .otf — to the WordPress Media Library or a dedicated font directory on your site. 

11. Disable image hotlinking

Hotlinking occurs when other sites link directly to your images, using your server’s bandwidth. 

To prevent this, you’ll need to add the following snippet to your .htaccess file:

# Prevent Image Hotlinking

RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^$

RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^https://(www\.)?yourwebsite\.com [NC]

RewriteRule \.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif|webp)$ - [F,NC,L]

Remember to replace http://www.yourwebsite.com with your actual domain name. 

Disabling hotlinking improves performance and protects your content from unauthorized use.

12. Disable pingbacks and trackbacks

Pingbacks and trackbacks are notifications of links to your content from other websites. These create unnecessary server load, so disabling them will improve your site speed.

To do this, go to Settings →  Discussion in your WordPress dashboard. Here, uncheck the box for Allow link notifications from other blogs (pingbacks and trackbacks) on new posts.

Remember to click on Save Changes. 

13. Delete unused plugins and themes

Every plugin and theme you install takes up storage space and slows down your site. So, it’s good practice to remove any plugins or themes you no longer need. 

Deactivating unwanted plugins and themes is not enough. You also need to delete them from your website.

Removing unused plugins and themes also reduces the risk of security vulnerabilities.

14. Clean up your database

Over time, your database accumulates unnecessary information like spam comments. This bloats your website and contributes to slower load times. 

Use a plugin like WP-Optimize to clean up your database and keep it running efficiently.

Once you install the plugin, go to WP-Optimize → Settings → Database and tick the box for Optimize database tables.

WP-Optimize deletes trashed posts and comments and other unwanted data.

15. Switch to a lighter theme

You might be tempted to use a fancy theme to make your website stand out. However, elaborate designs typically require heavy code which slows down your site. 

Switching to a lightweight theme makes a significant difference to your performance, and thanks to the WordPress block editor, you can still create a beautiful, eye-catching design.

Many light and minimalist themes offer plenty of customization options. Plus, if you choose a block theme like Blockbase, you can edit page templates within WordPress.

16. Upgrade your hosting

If you’ve tried the strategies above, but your website is still slow, changing hosting providers can help. Perhaps you’ve outgrown your current plan, or your web host offers a subpar service.

Managed WordPress hosting solutions often include built-in speed optimizations. Look for hosts that offer features like SSD storage, server-side caching, and optimized PHP versions for maximum performance.

Jetpack recommends many hosts, including established companies like WordPress.com and Pressable.

17. Use a content delivery network (CDN)

A CDN caches your site’s static files on multiple servers worldwide and delivers them from the nearest server to your visitors. This reduces latency and speeds up load times.

Previously, we discussed using an image CDN, which is included in Jetpack Boost. But the free Jetpack plugin includes a CDN as well, which once enabled, optimizes images and speeds up static file loading times, too.

To do this, go to Jetpack → Settings → Performance and toggle the button for Enable site accelerator.

18. Update PHP to the latest version

PHP serves as the programming language behind WordPress. Running the latest version of PHP improves your site’s performance and security. 

To check your site’s current PHP version, go to the WordPress dashboard and click on Tools → Site Health → Info, then select the Server tab and look for the PHP version.

If needed, you can upgrade your PHP version from your hosting account. Not all web hosts allow you to do this, so you may need to seek assistance from your provider. Upgrading to a higher-tier hosting plan or to a different hosting provider altogether are options as well. 

19. Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins updated

Well-maintained plugins and themes receive regular updates, which typically contain security patches and performance improvements. This also applies to the WordPress core software.

If you’re running an outdated WordPress installation, plugins, or themes, poor loading times and increased vulnerability to cyberthreats are the consequences.

To enable automatic updates for plugins and themes from the WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins then click Enable auto-updates next to each plugin for which you’d like to enable this feature.

Or, go to Dashboard → Updates to check whether new updates are available.

How to test your WordPress site speed

We’ve looked at how to speed up your WordPress site, but you’re likely wondering how to tell if your website’s performance has improved after implementing these tactics.

One option is to visit your site on your mobile phone or desktop computer to see how long it takes to load. However, things like your specific internet speed or device can skew results.

To test WordPress site speed properly, you need to use a dedicated site speed testing tool. 

Jetpack Boost tests your site speed and provides a score for both mobile and desktop versions directly within WordPress.

If you need more information, a free online tool like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom provide detailed reports. 

GTmetrix and Pingdom let you choose your testing location.

PageSpeed Insights assesses your Core Web Vitals, which is a set of metrics developed by Google to evaluate a site’s performance.

It also provides a breakdown of issues, paired with suggestions for how to fix them. For example, it will let you know if you should resize images. 

Why speeding up your WordPress site matters

Is it worth doing all this work to speed up your site? Yes — here’s why: 

Impact on user experience

When someone visits your website, they expect it to load quickly and run smoothly. Slow websites frustrate visitors, leading to higher bounce rates and lower engagement.

In fact, as your website’s load time increases from one second to three seconds, the probability of a visitor exiting the page goes up by 32 percent. 

A fast website facilitates a smooth user experience. 

SEO and search rankings

Search engines prioritize websites that offer a better user experience. If you have a high engagement rate on your site (like people visiting more than one page in a session), it shows Google that you provide valuable content. 

Meanwhile, if you have a high bounce rate or low engagement levels, it signals to Google that you offer a poor experience or unhelpful content. This downgrades your rankings in search results. 

A slow site also hinders search engine bots from efficiently crawling and indexing your pages. Over time, this negatively impacts site visibility.

Conversion rates and revenue

Whether you run an online store, make money through affiliate marketing, or take bookings, slow loading times directly affect your bottom line. 

If your product and checkout pages take a while to load, visitors are less likely to complete a purchase. This leads to cart abandonment and lost sales.

Faster sites encourage visitors to stay longer, explore more pages or posts, and make purchases. These visitors are also more likely to return to your site if they’ve had a pleasant browsing experience. 

Frequently asked questions

We’ve covered a lot here but if you still have questions about boosting your site’s speed, let’s explore a few answers.

Can I speed up a WordPress site without technical expertise?

Yes, you can speed up a WordPress site without technical knowledge. Plugins like Jetpack Boost and WP Super Cache make optimizing your site’s speed simple. For instance, you can enable features like a CDN and caching with one click. 

What is lazy loading, and do I need to activate it on WordPress?

Lazy loading delays the loading of images until they become visible on the visitor’s screen. Instead of loading all images first, it ensures photos are only retrieved when someone scrolls to their location on the page.

WordPress includes lazy loading for images and videos by default. 

What are Core Web Vitals, and how are they related to speed optimization?

Core Web Vitals measure key aspects of user experience, including how quickly a site loads (Largest Contentful Paint), how it responds to user actions (First Input Delay), and the degree to which it maintains visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift). Speed optimization improves these metrics, which enhances user satisfaction and boosts search engine rankings.

Can I use multiple speed optimization plugins?

It’s better to stick to a single, reliable plugin like Jetpack Boost. Using multiple plugins that offer the same features can cause conflicts on your site and is best avoided.

Boost your site’s performance with Jetpack!

Ready to improve your site speed? Start with simple things like removing plugins you no longer need and optimizing images. 

Then, install an all-in-one optimization tool like Jetpack Boost to handle the rest. This plugin automates tasks like caching, deferral of non-essential JavaScript, and image resizing. It also includes a CDN, which delivers your content from the server that’s closest to your visitors’ location. 

Why wait? Get started with Jetpack Boost today!