How To Improve A Website Performance?

Nowadays if you go to a website how many seconds you will wait for it to load the website? A report by Google says over 55% of visitors leave a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load on their mobile device because their website performance is not good and every user wants to know how to improve website performance. It’s no wonder then that the possibility of a website bounce rises by 32% as page load time varies from one second to three seconds.

Most website owners ask themself "Why my website is running slow”. We advise you that you should work on your website to make it faster. Finding the reason behind this issue is not that difficult.

This article will help to understand why your website is slow and how you can work on the problem to make your website faster.

What’s the speed of your website?

If you think your website is fast then the average speed of your website should be 1 to 2 seconds. If it's not that means you should work on your website.

There are so many websites where you can check the speed of your websites like GTMetrix, WebPageTest, or Pingdom. If you run the test and the speed is slow then these websites also show the reason behind that.

Here are the most common 8 reasons why your WordPress site loads slowly on devices like mobile, desktop, etc:

Running too many plugins

As of Today, WordPress has more than 60,000 different kinds of plugins available. Not every plugin that is available is going to be beneficial to your website, that's why before adding any plugin to your WordPress dashboard you should do some research on it, some of the plugins can harm your website and hackers are setting with there traps for you, so being a step ahead is great. If you add more plugins that can harm your website's loading time and slow the website, adding an unnecessary plugin is not recommended.

The website has hidden malware

A report from McAfee says, more than 50% of negative apps on mobile phones are hidden. Malware threats can even be hidden on WordPress sites without being noticed for weeks or even months. These threats can harm your website speed as well as the loading time by consuming too many server resources and bandwidth.

Using poor-quality plugins and themes

This is one of the most common reasons behind the slow speed of a website and if you want to know how to improve a website's performance then you should follow this tip. Every year 1000+ plugins get created and most of them are even rated and a few of them never receive any software update. This indicates that there’s no shortage of untrusted low-grade quality plugins and themes that are neither optimized for fast loading nor security, that’s why you should add good quality and high-rated plugins for your websites.

Not updating WordPress core, plugins, and themes

Not updating your WordPress core, plugins and themes can also affect the speed of your website. Outdated WordPress sites are not just a safety risk, they can also affect the site’s speed and implementation. If your WordPress site is operating slowly, it could be because of an outdated Core WordPress version, and old plugins and themes. Why is this the case? Simple, WordPress updates are also created to improve performance and load faster on any device.

Not optimizing images

You might be thinking about how an image can affect the website speed right? However not optimizing images on the website can also affect the performance and speed. Adding too many pictures can load up the website size if you work the images by compressing the size. You can use a high-resolution image but changing the image size without affecting its quality is difficult.

Poor web host

Are you regularly getting a WordPress slow server response time on your website? This thing happens because of your web hosting provider, if you are using a cheap hosting plan or a shared hosting plan this can be the reason behind the slow response time. A single shared server can be hosted by too many websites, and this slows your website. We recommend you get a good hosting plan, there is a different platforms where you can get great hosting some of them are paid and some are free.

Not using CDN(Content Delivery Network)

Short for Content Delivery Network, CDN comprises numerous servers placed in different geographical locations or countries. It basically stores multiple copies of your website content, so that they can deliver faster to the nearest user accessing your website. If your target users are across various geographies, not using CDN can impact the site’s speed and delivery.

Not using caching plugins:

The caching plugin helps to generate a good impression on a repeat visitor( a visitor who is visiting the website again). By adding this plugin you can optimize the website speed and performance With website caching, you can save and display the same website performance when a repeat user visits your site. This indicates that lower server resources are used for displaying content, thus enhancing page speed. For WordPress sites, a caching plugin is good for executing this step. However, many site owners choose not to use a caching plugin, as it often results in showing an outdated version of the website to repeat users.

These all are the most common 8 reasons why your WordPress site loads slowly, as we the reason now you can work on your website performance, and we recommend you a plugin for your WordPress website this is the WP Rocket plugin this will help you to increase your website speed and performance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the speed at which a website loads is crucial in retaining visitors and ensuring a positive user experience. In the fast-paced digital era, users expect swift access to information, and any delays can lead to frustration and increased bounce rates. It is evident from Google's report that a significant percentage of users abandon a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load on their mobile devices, highlighting the importance of website performance.

This article has shed light on the common reasons why WordPress sites may experience slow loading times and provided valuable insights into addressing these issues. From the impact of excessive plugins to the hidden threats of malware and the use of poor-quality themes, website owners are guided on how to identify and rectify potential speed bottlenecks.

The importance of keeping WordPress core, plugins, and themes updated is emphasized, as outdated elements can adversely affect both the security and speed of a website. Additionally, the significance of optimizing images and choosing a reliable web hosting provider is highlighted, along with the recommendation to utilize a Content Delivery Network (CDN) for efficient content delivery across diverse geographical locations.