WordPress is a great platform for your website, but can have issues with speed. There are several ways this can be fixed, starting with finding a better host!
Website trends come and go but there's one thing we know for sure - what Google wants, Google gets! So, if you want to fully optimise your website and improve your ranking, listen up.
There are many factors that make a website great, both in terms of design and ranking, and one of the biggest is speed. Nobody, including Google, likes a slow website. In fact, 40% of users will abandon your site if it takes too long to load.
Possible even worse than that is the fact that around 80% of shoppers who are unhappy about your site's performance are less likely to buy from you again.
Why Does Your Ranking Suck?
You've heard of Google algorithms, right? That's the process Google uses to rank websites. And speed is factored into that equation. So here's the thing, you've created a knockout WordPress website, full of great content and suitable keywords, but your ranking sucks. Why?
Despite being a great platform for your website, WordPress does have one weakness, and that's speed. But before you throw up your hands in despair, there is a solution. In fact, there are several ways in which you can speed things up, so you not only have a great looking website, but one that is performing efficiently, too.
Avoid Cheap Web Hosting
Believe it or not, the biggest cause of WordPress's slow speed is also the easiest to fix. Hosting. Sadly, many people get sucked in by cheap web hosting services, not understanding that it will probably cost them more in the long run. Cheap hosting usually means shared hosting, and that will result in extremely slow speeds, frequent crashing and even security issues.
I suggest changing to a new web hosting provider, who has a 99.9% Uptime Guarantee - it's really not that expensive.
Another reason your WordPress site may be slow is because your images are too big. Most web development services will suggest compressing your images, so that they will load quicker, without compromising on size or quality.
Ask An Expert
If you chose WordPress because you're a blogger, but you're now finding it's frustratingly slow, it could be that you need a Content Delivery Network - or CDN. Web development experts on the Sunshine Coast use CDN to hold all the static files on your site, so that they can be downloaded really fast.
This really should be part of your site from the get-go. But that doesn't mean you should load up your site with every plugin on the market! Another secret to owning a fast and fantastic WordPress site is the 'framework' you choose. Remember, the more you load on, the slower it will be, so avoid the temptation to add all the bells and whistles!
Having said that, though, one plugin I would recommend to speed up your site is a caching plugin. Basically, caching works by enabling some parts of your website to load once, instead of every time someone visits your site. This is really good is a user is visiting several pages on your website.
These are just some of the ways in which you can speed up your WordPress website. If you're serious about improving the performance of your site, I would highly recommend enlisting the help of website development professionals on the Sunshine Coast.
