3 Ways to Boost Your WordPress Site Speed by 50%
Tags: webdev, wordpress
Published: 2023-11-06 16:48:23

As a lead wordpress developer, few things annoy me more than working on a slow website. You know how it goes - our clients are impatiently refreshing, watching that spinning wheel, while we scramble to speed things up. It's not a good look for our agency! That's why I'm always testing new methods to optimize site performance. Over the years optimizing assets is one strategy that consistently helps chop loads of time off loading speeds. In this post, I'm sharing some of my favorite asset optimization techniques that could shave seconds off your site's loading times. As someone who works at [Hybrid Web Agency](https://hybridwebagency.com/), I wish I knew about these approaches earlier in my career. I'll cover techniques like minifying files, lazy loading images below the fold, and optimizing image formats - quick wins you can implement today to turbocharge your site's speed. Strap in and get ready to learn some new tricks that might just help save your next project!




## 1. Minify JavaScript and CSS Files


Minification is one of the most effective ways to reduce file sizes for JavaScript and CSS assets on a site. When files are minified, all unnecessary whitespace, newlines and comments are removed - leaving only the essential code needed to maintain functionality. This process can trim hundreds to thousands of bytes off each file. 


Reducing file sizes is crucial because smaller files mean less data needs to be transmitted over the network. This leads to faster loading times, especially on mobile connections. Did you know that increasing page speed by just 1 second can impact user experience and organic traffic? Shaving off even 100-200KB through minification makes a big difference.


To minify files in [WordPress](https://wordpress.com/), we'll use a plugin. Install and activate Minify to speed up delivery of CSS and JS assets. Next, go to Settings > Minify and enable compression of JavaScript and CSS files. Minify will automatically optimize enqueued scripts and stylesheets on every page load. 


```php
<?php
// enqueue script and minify  
wp_enqueue_script( 'custom-script' );
$minify = Minify_Minify::get_instance();
$minify->auto_minify_script( 'custom-script' );
?>
```


Within minutes of enabling this simple plugin, you could see file sizes reduced by over 50% on some sites. The minified files still contain all necessary data but remove meaningless extra code - delivering better performance without reducing functionality. Always minify assets for faster site speeds!






## 2. Lazy Load Images Below the Fold


One of the biggest contributors to front-end bloat are unnecessary images loading above-the-fold. "Below the fold" refers to any content that is initially hidden and requires scrolling to reach on longer pages. Conventional practices load all images on page load but lazy loading delays rendering of off-screen images for faster initial load times.


Lazy loading improves perceived performance by only loading images visible within the viewport. This prevents unused images from slowing down page load. Research shows 53% of page weight comes from images alone. By deferring lower images, pages feel snappier and you regain control of initial download bandwidth.


To [lazy load in WordPress](https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/wordpress/lazy-loading), we'll use the Lazy Load plugin. After installing, go to Settings > Lazy Load and enable it for all images. The plugin will then add a data-src attribute to images rather than src. 


```html
<img data-src="image.jpg">
```


On page scroll, Lazy Load uses JavaScript to change data-src to src, loading the actual image. This avoids blocking the document parsing and improves above the fold rendering. 


You can also specify classes of images to lazy load to refine where it's applied. Check the plugin documentation for other customizations like placeholders and failure images. Lazy loading is a simple tweak that noticeably boosts perceived speed without much effort.


With lazy loading handling lower images, pages load faster while delivering the same rich imagery further down. Combined with minification, these techniques effortlessly enhance performance.




## 3. Optimize Image File Sizes and Format

Images are often the heaviest assets, so properly sizing and compressing them is key to site performance. Larger files mean slower downloads no matter where they appear in code. The good news is there are simple ways to reduce image file sizes without sacrificing quality.

The first step is to audit your existing images - check files sizes and see if any optimization is possible. Use a plugin like ImageOptimizer to scan uploads and suggest which files can be improved. This will catch optimization opportunities across your library.

When saving optimized images, the file format matters greatly. JPEGs are best for photos with many colors like screenshots, PNGs work well for logos and icons with solid colors/lines. SVG excels for high-resolution logos due to scalability. Make sure to only use the format appropriate for each image type.

Compress images using lossy methods for JPEGs and PNGs. Tools like TinyPNG and ImageOptim use advanced algorithms to minimize file sizes. For example, a 500kb logo can often shrink to <50kb via lossy compression with no discernible quality loss. 

Additionally, right-size images to required dimensions to trim excess pixels. Oversized images create wasted bytes.

With a few clicks in optimization plugins, regularly audit and compress your images for faster, leaner pages. Taking these simple steps prevents front-end bloat from visual assets.



## Conclusion
Optimizing assets through techniques like minification, lazy loading and image optimization is one of the most impactful ways to boost site speed. By reducing asset sizes and improving delivery, these methods create a win-win for both performance and user experience.
After implementing the strategies covered here, I've seen load times decrease by over 50% on some sites. With just a few plugin tweaks, pages load nearly instantly even on slower mobile connections. Faster sites mean happier users and better search engine rankings.
As a developer at focused on performance, I'm always trying new techniques to help our clients. Whether it's optimizing assets or other optimization strategies, performance remains a top priority. If you need help implementing these tactics or advancing your site speed further, I'd recommend you to [hire WordPress Developers in Bellevue](https://hybridwebagency.com/bellevue-wa/hire-wordpress-developers/).
With the right optimizations, any WordPress site can achieve lightning fast speeds. I hope the techniques shared here provide some quick wins to eliminate loading lags. Always be optimizing for faster experiences that keep users engaged.