If a website loads too slowly, most potential customers will bail and go to the competition. SEO also uses page load speed in it’s ranking algorithm. Website speed is important, but there are so many WordPress cache plugins out there that promise to speed up your site and they are complicated to install. I have found the perfect solution to this problem!
What is Caching?
Caching is the process of a server or user’s computer browser holding on to frequently used files. This can make a big impact on website speeds because the file doesn’t need to be reloaded each time a user visits a page with the same resources already stored in cache.
This could be compared to the process I have when I leave my kids with a babysitter. I have a printed out document that includes all the instructions the babysitter may need posted on the side of the fridge. I could re-create that document every time we have a sitter, but why waste all that time when I already have it printed out and the instructions remain the same?
That’s the same process a server or browser goes through when delivering a website to a user. It sees if it has any documents or images in cache and if it does, it uses those documents or images instead of going to get the new ones and wasting time.
Now, this brings up a nasty issue. What if you have updated that document, but the server is using the one in cache? That can be very frustrating and I have clients all the time ask why they’re still seeing the old image when I just told them I updated it. This is when clearing your browser cache is helpful. The browser cache will usually clear in about 24 hours time, but if you are in a hurry, you can manually clear it using instructions easily found on Google. Just Google your browser name (i.e. Chrome, Safari, Firefox) and “how to clear cache”. You’ll find a good tutorial.
Also, if you make changes to your website and are using a caching plugin such as I show you in the video below, you will need to clear the cache for that plugin after you make changes. The plugin will remind you when it’s time to clear the cache by putting a button at the top of the window after you save something.
So now that we know what cache is, let’s move on to how we can leverage a WordPress cache plugin to speed up a WordPress website.
You might also be interested in:
How to Install a WordPress Plugin Video Tutorial
Make WordPress 3x Faster with this WordPress Cache Plugin
In this video tutorial, I will show you the exact plugin I used to make a client’s website 3x faster making it 94% faster than all the other websites tested.
The website used in this video is ClassyCareerGirl.com. Classy Career Girl is an e-learning platform designed to be a one-stop-shop for all women in career transition. Their trainings are world class and they are dedicated to motivating and inspiring women who are job searching or starting businesses. To date, they’ve helped launch 700+ dream careers and businesses since 2010.
Table of contents:
If you want to skip over parts, please use the time references in the table of contents.
- 00:01 – Introduction
- 00:55 – Necessary Resources
- 01:19 – Perform Speed Test
- 03:07 – Downloading the Plugin
- 03:57 – Installing the Plugin
- 04:46 – Configuring the Plugin
- 10:21 – Checking the Website
- 11:05 – Running Second Speed Test
- 12:16 – Finetuning Plugin Settings
- 12:47 – Running Third Speed Test
- 14:34 – Final Speed Test
- 15:32 – Conclusion
Resources Used in This Video:
