We have compiled a list of 25 resources and tools to make your website super fast. Why so many? So we can be sure that you will find at least one that you have never heard of before.
- PageSpeed Insights
- Google analytics
- Pingdom
- WebPagetest
- Yslow
- Alternative hosts test
- Clean up old clutter – get rid of everything you don’t need. Old images, old WordPress themes, post reviews, unused plugins, outdated widgets and landing pages. Make a backup of all of them (just in case) and then discard them. It’s such a good new 2016! If you are using WordPress, you may want to check out WP-Optimize which automates the removal of spam and junk in the database.
- TinyPNG
- Jpegmini
- Smush.it
- Image Optimizer EWWW
- WPSmushPro
- Compress Your CSS – So why make those valuable loyal users wait for static content to download every time? You can control the amount of time content is stored on the user’s computer from your server’s control panel. If you are not sure, check with your hosting provider.
- Minimize HTTP requests
- Push scripts down: if you are using a scripting language on your page, avoid putting it in the field . Running the script can significantly slow site display and leave users waiting for content to load while JavaScript or jQuery are busy running.
- Load above the fold first
- Compress as much as you can
- CDN for everyone: Content distribution networks are no longer the province of big publishers and content hubs like Facebook and Google. If you have a global audience and your server bandwidth is slow in some areas, you can move all that static content to the cloud. There are free CNDs like CloudFlare that you can get started with.
- Install Google’s PageSpeed Module – Google loves fast internet, so they want their site to be fast. Help them and they will help you with better SERPs and more AdSense income. If you have access to your server, you probably want to install Google’s open source PageSpeed module there. Ask your hosting provider if you are not sure.
- Remove or replace heavy plugins
- WordPress Caching – If you’re not caching your WordPress installation, you should. There are quite a few cache plugins, but W3 Total Cache is still my favorite.
- Delete unused tags
- Optimize Your Database – Compressing and optimizing your WordPress database is almost as important as making a backup. There is no shortage of database optimization plugins. These are two of my favorites:
- WP-Sweep removes duplicate files, orphans and other clutter from your database.
- WP-DBManage allows you to optimize your databases, repair and backup and restore them
Bon appetit to you!
With these helpful tips and tools, all you need to do is back up everything and start testing. With more users switching to broadband (and putting pressure on the networks) and Google putting more weight on site load times, there has never been a better time to optimize your site speed.