Performance 101

Performance is a popular buzzword in the WordPress space. For most users, installing a performance optimization plugin is the one thing they do on their website, maybe configuring some of the settings. But performance is way more than that. In this session, I want to give a quick overview of what is important for a website to be considered performant and what to look at when working with WordPress websites.

Transcript

1. Performance 101 Jessica Lyschik WordCamp Netherlands 2022
2. Agenda • What is performance? • Which performance tools are available? • What influences the performance of a WordPress website?
3. What is performance? Besides it's a fancy buzzword
4. Performance is not a setting. Not in WordPress, not in your hosting and it's not a (caching) plugin.
5. Performance is the continuous optimization of all components. Really everything: Hosting, WordPress, Plugins, Themes, Content.
6. What performance tools are available? How to measure the performance of your site
7. PageSpeed Insights By Google. Shows a calculated score in either green (good), orange (average) or red (bad). Different scores for mobile and desktop. Gives suggestions what can be improved.
8. WebPage Test Very detailed results with lots of tables and charts. Made for users with higher technical interest. Suggestions in the new "Opportunities & Experiments" tab.
9. GTmetrix Kind of in between Pagespeed Insights and WebPageTest. To change the test server location from Vancouver, Canada to something else, you need a free account.
10. Browser DevTools Chrome and Firefox also offer some interesting insights in their dev tools, in "Network" or "Network Analysis".
11. What influences the performance of a WordPress website? Caching is not everything
12. Hosting • Your hosting package needs to fit your website • Don't go for the cheapest, if your website needs WooCommerce for example • If your website grows over time, don't forget to upgrade your hosting too
13. WordPress • If possible, have the latest WordPress version running • At least, have it updated to the last security update • On production sites: disable WP_DEBUG
14. Themes • "Multi Purpose Themes" often come with lots of assets • Choose specialised or performance optimized themes • Research for ratings or recommendations • Brand-new but worth a look: Block Themes together with Full Site Editing
15. Plugins • In general: as many as neccessary, as few as possible • Don't rely on the "not more than X plugins" myth • It's about the quality of a plugin and the functional range • Have a first look at the WordPress Plugin Repository • Paid plugins: check out ratings, recommendations or if a free, limited plugin is available
16. External resources • The less, the better! • Every request to another server increases the time needed to load your site. • Google Fonts, Google Maps, Ads, Instagram Embeds, YouTube Embeds...
17. Images • Edit images before upload: as small as possible, as large as needed • Further image optimization can be handled through plugins in WordPress like ShortPixel, Smush, Imagify… • Choose the right image size when adding your image to your content
18. Contents • Your home page shouldn't have too much content • Create subpages for heavier use-cases like galleries • Avoid using sliders or any additional animations, or use modern and optimized methods • Avoid autoplay of audio or video files
19. There are many things you can do to optimize your website for performance besides using a Caching plugin. Don't try to get the very best scores in tests, it could also hurt your site. Every website is different and getting a specific average score doesn't make it an unsuccessful website. Tips
20. Thank you! Jessica Lyschik Frontend & WordPress Developer, Extendify Inc. @jessicalyschik https://jessicalyschik.com What is your question?