3 Simple Tips to Improve Your Website Page Load Speed

Reduce the file size of all media assets

• Size your images appropriately – We’ve frequently seen clients make the mistake of uploading full-sized, 12 megapixel images without resizing first. Don’t upload a 6000 pixel wide image if its going to be displayed at 500 pixels. While retina is a consideration (2x), make sure the photos are sized according to the parameters of the design.
• Stick to JPG when possible – JPG is a compressed image format that maintains the integrity of the image, without wasting unnecessary space. So for the vast majority of applications, JPG is preferred. You should only use PNG when transparency is necessary. Avoid using TIFF and BMP altogether.
• Compress all photos – Even photos that have been appropriately sized are still going to be larger files than they need to be. Make sure that all photos are compressed, as compression can significantly reduce the file size, without dramatically sacrificing picture quality. At a basic level, you can export from Photoshop (or another image tool) using a “save for web” option. We’re big fans of Imagify because of its seamless integration into WordPress. There are also many image compression tools available online that you can also use.
• Compress all video – Video—especially high definition video—has the potential to be a significant speed hog. Be sure to compress each video using a video compression tool such as Handbrake.
• Embed using a 3^rd party video hosting platform – It’s also a good idea to embed video using a 3^rd-party video hosting platform such as Vimeo or Wistia to reduce the impact on your hosting server’s bandwidth.

A robust page speed solution for WordPress websites such as WP Rocket can not only handle page caching (replacing the need for a plugin like W3 Total Cache) but also a slew of other page-speed optimization methods such as:

• Enabling browser caching
• LazyLoading images and video
• Minifying resources (HTML, CSS, JS)
• Removing query strings from static resources
• Combining files (Google fonts, CSS, JS)
• Optimizing the database
• Loading CSS files asynchronously
• Loading JS files deferred

Note: While there are many options available in a page speed solution such as WP Rocket, be advised that there are potential risks. Deactivate options if you notice any visually broken items on your website.

As previously stated, there are many, many factors that affect your website’s page load speed. While some are within your control, many require the expertise and assistance of a web development partner. Here are several other considerations for improving your website page loading speed:

• Minimize HTTP requests – This gets down to the nitty-gritty of web development, but decreasing the total number of pieces of the webpage (such as images, scripts, etc.) that need to be loaded can reduce page load time.
• Enable Gzip compression – Gzip compresses your webpages and style sheets before sending them over to the browser. This reduces the page size by up to 70% which can also drastically reduce transfer time.
• Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network) – Leveraging a CDN can improve your site speed by hosting website files across a large network of servers around the world. This allows users to download files from servers that are close to them, and spreading the bandwidth decreases page load time.
• Configure server settings – Server software (such as Apache) out-of-the-box is not always sufficiently configured for optimal website performance. Consult with your hosting provider on how best to “performance tune” your server for your website and content management system (CMS).