How to Improve WordPress Speed for Better Rankings

Today, the speed of your site is more than just a matter of user experience—it has a direct impact on your search engine rankings. Google has already made it known that page speed is a ranking factor (especially for mobile-first indexing). If you’re on WordPress (like me), making your website fast is not just a cool thing to do; it’s a must.

At WinnipegTech, we build fast, SEO-friendly WordPress sites. Here are some tried-and-tested hacks to give your WordPress speed a boost in the right direction and get your site onto the winner’s podium in no time.

Opt for a Hosting Service That is Fast and Reliable

Your hosting is your website’s vehicle for working well. It may be attractive to opt for shared hosting due to its affordability, but it’s frequently associated with slow load times. For optimal speed:

• Consider a managed WordPress hosting solution, such as SiteGround, WP Engine, or Kinsta.
• Choose a server located near your audience (e.g., Winnipeg or Canadian data centers).
• Verify that the host offers SSD storage and maintains decent uptime.

Use a Lightweight Theme

Most WordPress themes are fatter than Oprah on a two-week cake binge. A theme with good, clean code, such as Astra, GeneratePress, or Kadence, will help keep load time down while providing lots of freedom for design.

Install a Caching Plugin

Caching takes the load off your server by saving a static version of your content. Well-known plugins, such as WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, and LiteSpeed Cache, drastically speed up load times and increase overall user experience.

Optimize Images

Unoptimized images can also cause slow sites. Compress images without losing quality using tools like Smush, ShortPixel, or Imagify. Additionally, deliver images in next-generation formats, such as WebP, to enable even faster delivery.

Compress CSS, JavaScript, and HTML

Minification is the process of removing unnecessary characters in the source code. This is a feature offered by most caching plugins; alternatively, you can use tools like Autoptimize to optimize your code.

Leverage a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A CDN, such as Cloudflare or StackPath, distributes your content from data centers located near your visitors. It has the added benefit of decreasing latency and increasing load speed worldwide.

Limit the Use of Plugins

Having too many plugins can overwhelm your site. Turn off and delete any unnecessary ones, and try to find all-in-one plugins to replace multiple ones if possible.

Enable GZIP Compression

GZIP compression minimizes file size and accelerates data transfer between servers and clients. This can easily be turned on, often with a single click, on most performance plugins.

Clean Up Your Database

As time passes, your WordPress database tends to become cluttered with items such as post revisions, spam comments, and transients. Allow plugins such as WP-Optimize to regularly clean up and maintain optimal operational efficiency.

Use Images and Videos Lazy Loading

Lazy loading is a method of loading images, video files, or other content without loading their entire content. That reduces the time required for initial page loading and saves bandwidth, especially on mobile devices.

Wrapping Up

Website speed isn’t nice to have; it’s a MUST-have. A quick WordPress site is beneficial for both your SEO and your clients, as they’ll stay on your site longer and have a higher chance of converting into leads. Here at WinnipegTech, we support Winnipeg and the national and/or international business community in creating high-performance, search-friendly websites.

So, if your site is slow and losing ground in the rankings, you need to address this. Reach out to WinnipegTech for a performance audit and take the first step toward greater visibility and success.