Speed matters when it comes to how quickly your website loads when visitors (read: potential and current customers) stop by.
Why Website Speed is So Important
All evidence says that your website would convert more visitors when it loads quickly. For example, the stats from Kissmetrics tell us that 2 out of 5 people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. For mobile users, approximately 1 out of 2 people leave when the site does not load within those 3 seconds (Google). Everyone’s in a hurry. Their patience and attention run thin.
So how do you ensure your WordPress website is fast?
Here are five actions you can take right away to speed up your WordPress website and win over more of your website visitors:
1. Optimize your images
Use right size images on your website and ensure your compress the images. This can be done to retain the quality of the images while reducing their size.
2. Use Caching Software
Caching software helps store the latest version of your site which is presented to users when they browse. WordPress caching plugins typically compress the website files, reorganize software code, and clean the database and can also compress images. The result? A lean, fast website your visitors will be happy with.
3. Remove Unneeded Themes and Plugins
Avoid bloat, if you don’t need some software now, remove it until you need it. Aside from your active theme, you will be fine with just an extra theme, preferably one of WordPress themes such as 2020 or 2021.
4. Mind Your Theme
WordPress sites run on themes which present the layout of each site. But not all themes are equal. The best ones are generally structured to load and run fast. You can find the best speedy themes from online reviews. For me Astra and its pro version Astra Pro are two you should consider.
5. Review Your Web Hosting Service
Where all else fails, you may need to review your web hosting provider’s performance. If its service cannot be better, then you should shop for a faster hosting service. As in other things, cheap isn’t always better.
I know. Some of these ideas may sound a little technical so you might want to talk to your website developer. And if you prefer, do contact me if you need any help or more information regarding any of these suggestions.