A website that looks great on a desktop computer can appear cluttered and difficult to navigate on a mobile device. Long loading times, large images that distort the page layout, and small buttons that are challenging to click all contribute to an unpleasant experience. Because many users browse the web on their phones, a mobile unfriendly website is likely to see a drop in engagement. The truth is, creating a mobile friendly website in WordPress is not very difficult. However, a responsive theme is not always enough, as there are many other factors that influence how quickly a website will load. In most cases, improving a website’s performance does not require rewriting large portions of code. Several WordPress performance optimization techniques can dramatically increase website speed and enhance the user experience. Let’s discuss them in detail.
First Performance Testing and Identifying the Issues
Beforehand, it is necessary to define what the issue is and why it occurs. Use a smartphone to visit the website and see if it appears cluttered or distorted. Does a specific page take too long to load? Are there any buttons or links that are hard to press? Testing the site with online performance tools can also help identify issues related to the loading time and performance. However, it is not enough to simply measure the current time it takes for a website to fully load. It is important to pay attention to what the user sees as the page loads. In some cases, the first meaningful paint can be deceiving, as it hides the fact that a website has not yet finished loading. Additionally, it is essential to identify whether the proposed solution has actually resolved the issue.
Selecting a Light Theme for WordPress
A theme defines how a website looks and feels. Many themes include additional features, various animation effects, sliders, and other design elements. The more effects and features a theme includes, the heavier it can affect the website’s performance. A light theme has only the necessary elements that make the website aesthetically pleasing and are required for its primary functions. Themes with fewer effects and animations are lighter on the user’s device and usually appear smoother on mobile devices. If it is not possible to customize the current theme, it may be necessary to change it. In such a situation, a trial and error method can help select an appropriate theme.
Optimizing Images Before Uploading Them to WordPress
One of the most common performance issues on websites is the presence of extra or low-quality images. Depending on what device the user is using, the mobile browser will attempt to render all website elements, including embedded videos and images. The larger the image resolution is, the higher the time it takes to load. The resolution of the image should match the size of the picture on the website. There is no point in uploading a 4K image if the phone will display the photo in 1080p. Modern technology also allows using smaller file sizes while maintaining a high level of detail and image quality. The tools that come with WordPress give the ability to optimize images before uploading them to the website. It is also important to remember that the system automatically generates thumbnail versions of the images. Therefore, the website may contain several similar images that consume disk space and memory.
Implementing Lazy Load to Improve Website Speed
Lazy load is a technique that allows certain elements of a website to only appear when the user reaches them while browsing the page. It is possible thanks to special scripts that hide the elements until the specified conditions are met. This approach is particularly helpful for websites with large images or videos placed at the bottom of the page. It eliminates the need to load all the media at once when the user lands on the webpage. The images at the bottom only appear when the user scrolls down far enough to see them. WordPress has a built-in feature that enables lazy load for images. Additional optimization tools also include support for this functionality. It is important not to apply it to all elements of the website, as some parts may need to appear straight away. Lazy load should only be used on those elements of the website that are not necessary to view before the user begins browsing.
Removing Unused Plugins From the Website
WordPress plugins add additional features to the website, but for their proper operation, they require extra scripts that can adversely affect the performance. The problem occurs when several plugins that are not compatible with modern standards are used at the same time. In other words, the more plugins are used beyond reasonable limits, the more likely it is to experience compatibility issues. It is worth examining the list of plugins that come with WordPress and removing those that are not used. Before deleting any plugins, it is essential to ensure that they are not required by the currently used theme. In addition, it is worth removing duplicate plugins or those that perform similar functions.
Disabling Unnecessary Scripts and Animations
Scripts and animations can make a website visually appealing but at the same time significantly affect its performance. The more animations and effects are used, the more scripts need to be executed in the background. These scripts can consume valuable memory and processing power, which especially affects the performance of smartphones. It is important to analyze what elements on the website need to be changed or animated and to delete those animations that are not essential. Scripts can also be disabled when using third party applications.
Choosing a Reliable Hosting Provider for WordPress
The performance of a website depends not only on the appearance and the scripts that come with it but also on the server that hosts it. The server must have enough memory and processing power to serve the website. If the website has a high level of visitors, an appropriate plan must be selected so that the server can handle the load. It is important to understand that the server has its limitations. For example, it can only simultaneously process so many requests before it starts slowing down. The server must also be able to allocate enough memory for processing scripts and caching data. If the website uses a web hosting control panel to manage the server, it is worth looking at what tools are available.
Enabling Caching to Enhance Website Performance
Caching is a process in which frequently used data is stored in a memory cache so that it does not have to be retrieved every time it is needed. WordPress has several built in caching tools, and caching plugins can be used to gain more control over the process. When using caching, website data is stored in memory so that whenever a user visits the page, it does not have to be generated from scratch. This allows the server to spend less time and memory on processing requests from multiple users. It is also worth enabling browser caching so that the user does not have to reload data every time they visit a new page. Caching should be configured carefully, since incorrect settings can lead to situations where old data appears after a change was supposed to take effect. Most caching tools have an option to purge or refresh the cache.
Updating WordPress, Themes, and Plugins on a Regular Basis
Website performance can be affected by the updates to WordPress itself, themes, and plugins. WordPress is regularly released with performance improvements, bug fixes, and other optimizations in its core files. Plugins and themes also receive regular improvements and updates. Outdated software can also introduce compatibility issues between various components of the website. It is important to always have a recent backup of the website in case something goes wrong. While it is necessary to keep the website up to date, it is also important not to blindly update all the components. Some incompatible changes can still occur, especially with large scale changes. When it is possible, test the update on a test website before activating it on the main website.
Removing Unused Data and Optimizing the WordPress Database
Over time, the WordPress database can accumulate data that is no longer necessary. Depending on how the website is managed, this can include spam comments or content that was originally published but then deleted. Optimizing the database can help remove unnecessary data and improve website performance. However, it is a delicate process, and incorrect actions can lead to data loss. Before making any changes, it is important to make a full copy of the database so that if something goes wrong, it will be possible to restore the previous state. While deleting unnecessary database entries is not difficult, it is worth remembering that the database contains information about the website. Therefore, incorrect or careless editing can have more serious consequences than deleting an image or plugin that is no longer needed.
Using a Content Delivery Network to Help Improve Website Performance
A content delivery network (CDN) is a tool that helps deliver content to users faster by caching data on multiple servers. When the user makes a request, the nearest server responds to it. This is helpful if the users who visit the website are spread out across different geographical regions. A CDN is particularly useful for websites that have users in multiple regions as well as for those who have a large amount of traffic. While using a CDN can be helpful, it is not a complete solution. It should be used together with other performance optimization techniques. CDNs are most useful when delivering content that is large in size. Therefore, using it to deliver large images or other media files that have not been optimized will not be very helpful.
Simplifying the Design and Layout of the Website
Performance and design are two aspects that are closely related. The website must be designed in such a way that it is not difficult to navigate or interact with. A mobile responsive design does not require the website to adopt all of the elements of its desktop counterpart.
Elements such as large menus and buttons, complex animations, and oversized images that take up the entire width of the screen should be avoided. The goal is to create a website with larger text and touch areas and greater spacing between interactive elements.
Summary
Increasing the speed and performance of a mobile website is a continuous process. First of all, it is necessary to make sure that there are no obvious problems. Then, the tools that came with WordPress can be used to tune the website’s performance. When these opportunities are exhausted, the next step is to optimize the images, select a light theme, and remove any unnecessary elements. It is also important to examine the scripts that affect the website’s performance, update the software, and optimize the server.
