Time is money, and with the growing digitalization, people have grown more and more restless. If a WordPress website takes longer than 3 Seconds to load that means it is slow. And a slow website means users will potentially leave the website before it even loads.

Even Google admits that while ranking websites, it takes into consideration the website loading time, SEO configurations and present backlinks. Most of these can be checked by opting for relevant plugins like backlink checker, or other SEO tools.

With the growing competition, a website owner has very little time to show users it’s content and also convince users to stay on the website. So, it becomes imperative for website owners to make sure that their website loads quickly.

Nine Ways to Boost the Speed of Your WordPress Website

Here are some ways one can speed up WordPress:

Install a WordPress Caching Plugin

Caching can make your WordPress site anywhere from 2x to 5x faster. WordPress pages are “dynamic.” This means they’re built on the fly every time someone visits a post or page on the website. To build the pages, WordPress has to run a process to find the required information, put it all together, and then display it to the user.

This process involves a lot of steps, and it can really slow down a website when multiple people are visiting it at once.

That’s why a caching plugin will help. By enabling caching on the website, the site data can be stored locally in temporary storage spaces, called caches.

Instead of going through the whole page generation process every time, a caching plugin makes a copy of the page after the first load, and then serves that cached version to every subsequent user.

This means that browsers can load the site files more easily and don’t have to re-download everything from the server every time the site is needed.

Caching thus makes the page loading speeds much faster especially for recurrent users.

Optimize Images for Speed

Images bring important visual aid to a content and help boost engagement. An illustration catches the eye quickly and helps build interest. So, adding images to content is an important step.

However, beginners forget to optimize these images before uploading them on the website, which results in slower speed. As, uploading the image directly from the camera roll means the size of the image is way larger than it needs to be.

In their original formats, these photos can have huge file sizes and will be a major contributor to the size increment of a given webpage. The larger the picture files on the website, the longer a site takes to load.

Hence, it’s recommended that hosts use photo editing software to optimize images for the web. Plugins can be easily used to resize, compress and retrieve these files.

Clean-up your database

The more a WordPress site is used, the more it’s database becomes clogged-up. These old and unnecessary files slow down it’s performance. Cleaning up the database therefore speeds everything up by removing the items that aren’t needed.

Deleting unwanted data from the database will keep its size to a minimum and also helps in reducing the size of its backups.

It is also necessary to delete spam comments, fake users, old drafts of the content and maybe even unwanted plugins as well as themes. All of this will reduce the size of the databases and web files, and thus speed up WordPress.

Choose faster plugins for the website

Poorly coded WordPress plugins often load too much bloat whether the site needs it or not. This increases the page load speed and slows down the website.

It’s not the quantity of plugins that generally causes a speed problem. In general, it’s the quality and usefulness of plugins that affect page speed.

Poorly designed plugins, plugins with outdated software, or surplus/duplicate plugins can all contribute to slow website loading.

It’s a good idea to run a Google PageSpeed test both before and after installing any plugin. This helps show the impact of the plugin on the website’s speed and allows the host to make an informed decision about whether the plugin’s functionality is worth slowing the site down.

Use a lightweight WordPress theme or framework

Sometimes less is more.

Sure, WordPress themes come with a lot of dynamic elements, sliders, widgets, social icons and many more shiny elements. But, too many elements result in higher page sizes which immensely increases the website load time.

The best option is to use lightweight themes. And make sure to think about the website visibility on the smaller screen. As, mobile friendly website configuration helps in choosing the best themes.

“My coach has been working with me to set and meet aggressive goals for my company. He’s even gotten my employees on board with my vision, and I’ve had problems with them in the past. After several “false starts,” I’m finally taking my business to its potential, and I would like to see my clients do the same. He helped me identify $20,000 in unmade sales (services people wanted but we didn’t offer to them and they didn’t know we could provide) and another $25,000 in missed revenues due to under pricing certain services. We also found a way to change our process for preparing returns that cut the turnaround time by 30%.” Dan, Owner, CPA Firm

Minify CSS, HTML & JS files

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), HTML and JavaScript (JS) files are used to add comments to the website code, for example to clarify formatting or style.

Simply reducing the size of these files and deleting unnecessary code will help improve the site’s Google PageSpeed.

It enables the site to load more rapidly, whilst retaining the key information needed in order for the site to display correctly.

Don’t upload audio or video files directly to WordPress

Hosting audio and videos costs bandwidth. It increases the backup sizes tremendously, and makes it difficult to restore WordPress from backup in the future.

Let SoundCloud, YouTube, Spotify and other such platforms to host these when required. They have the bandwidth to handle it.

WordPress has a built-in video embed feature, so a website owner can simply copy and paste the video’s URL directly into the post and it will be embedded automatically.

Keep the WordPress Site Updated

WordPress is an open source project and is therefore updated frequently. Each update helps fix security issues and brings new offers to the table.

A website owner should always use the latest WordPress version. And ensure fully updated latest versions for all of the page’s features. Make sure to update plugins as and when new software becomes available.

Updates are always highlighted on the WordPress dashboard and a website owner can simply check regularly and click on any update messages to action them.

Not doing so may make the website slow and unreliable, and make the page vulnerable to security threats.

Use a Content Delivery Network

Distance can mean lag in content delivery, which is where a CDN becomes handy. No matter a user’s location, the content on the website should be delivered blazing fast. Sometimes this isn’t always feasible, if the website isn’t on an infrastructure that contains data centers in other parts of the world.

A CDN keeps a copy of the website in various data centers located in different places. The primary function of a CDN is to serve a visitor from the nearest possible location.

It helps in faster page load time because when configured, the website will use an optimized server that’s closest to the site visitor. The data center will store static content and files, and then deliver them to users based on their location.

Conclusion on WordPress:

With the online community today, in a state of growing impatience it is imperative that website owners speed up WordPress.

Have you been seeing a steady stream of website traffic, but you’re not getting as many sales as you would like? It can be frustrating, especially when you don’t understand what it is that you’re doing wrong. Thankfully, there is a way that you can readjust your strategy with some careful SEO techniques.

Utah SEO can help you develop a strategy to manage your company’s online efforts and start to see those visits turn to revenue. With a few adjustments, you can capture the interest of your local community and beyond.

Seven Ways to Turn Website Traffic Into Sales

Create an Email List to Help With Website Traffic

Your customers like to know what’s going on with your business and are informed of any new products or improvements that have been made. An email list is a perfect way to keep in touch with them. You can provide details about your company and slowly build up trust by showing them what your values and mission are. Customers appreciate having some personal details and inside information on the workings of your company.

Once you have started to generate some interest and shown the appeal of what you offer, you can start to send out a sales pitch with your emails that encourages your audience to make a purchase. Include a discount or special rate for even more interest and incentive to buy from you.

Have a Consistent Online Presence

Content and visibility are key factors in gaining enough enthusiasm to turn those site views into sales. If you don’t already have a strong online presence, then you should start to join social media and other sites to interact with your target customer demographic. Even local buyers get a lot of their information online, so this is not a step that you want to skip over.

Keep your content updated and fresh. One great blog post is not enough. It may capture the interest of a few people, but that will start to fade if you don’t follow up with regular updates and new ideas. Try to focus on content that shows how your products will solve a problem or provide value.

Have conversations with other businesses and individuals on social media. Comment on current events and show how your company plays a relevant role in today’s market. You can advertise deals that you have going on, or even drive up some interest for a cause that is close to your heart and that your company supports. Showing that your business has heart and cares is a great way to break out of the stuffy business-only content that can quickly get stale and boring.

Track Your Website Traffic Origins

There are all kinds of algorithms and apps available that will help you track the source of the clicks your website gets. When you can see which ads and outside sources are most effective at drawing people to your website, you can refocus your efforts by updating your ad campaign and showcasing your products that would be most appealing for this group.

If you have low views from some surprising sources, then you may want to get some outside opinions on where your advertising or content fell flat. Ask friends, employees, or even a customer panel for their insights and criticisms. If you’re a local business in Melbourne, for example, you’ll need to focus on targeting your market through local SEO. Tapping the help of Online Marketing Gurus, trusted SEO experts, can be beneficial to converting your site traffic into sales.

Consider Tiered Offerings

Not every person that visits your website will be ready to make a purchase. They may need some convincing or be unsure if your product is the correct one for them. This is why it’s a fantastic idea to encourage different types of purchases.

For those customers who are undecided or perhaps just getting started with a project or business, have some low-cost options available. This gives them the opportunity to get the feel of your products and how your company works. Others could be further along in their plans and ready for a larger investment. Always show your prices clearly so your customers can make an informed decision. If possible, organize your content in a progressive way so potential buyers can see how each step up in cost offers greater value to them.

Offer a Guarantee To Improve Your Website Traffic

No one wants to lose out on a large sum of money. Some of the people that stop by your site may be interested in buying from you, but nervous about the cost investment if it turns out not to work for them. Alleviate their fears and show your awesome customer service with a guarantee. Remove the risk by offering a full refund if the purchase does not meet their expectations or needs.

It’s also a wonderful idea to list your credentials and experience so any wavering customer will be confident that you have quality products and they can trust your company.

Tweak Your Content

If you are getting quite a lot of website hits, but not so many sales, take a closer look at your content. Is it grabbing the attention of the viewer? If someone clicks on your site but is uninspired by what they see, they will leave before they even get close to buying anything.

Make sure that your information is clear and that you provide plenty of details. Keep your tone friendly and consistent. Consider the visual appeal and organization of your site. Is it organized? Your content should be easy to understand and not overcrowded. Divide it into sections that are labeled and simple to navigate to. You may even want to add some helpful features like an online chat option so customers can get immediate answers to their questions.

Deliver Greater Value To Improve Your Website Traffic

Another tip to increasing your sales revenue is to provide more value. Perhaps a potential customer is on the fence about whether or not to make a purchase. If they see that you offer a mini online course or free trial they may be more willing to take the plunge and complete the purchase. You can also provide some instruction videos and demonstrations for your products and services. These are fantastic ways to let your viewers see your product in action and build up interest.

With a smart SEO strategy, you can start to see a big rise in your online sales. When you know how to interact with your customers, both past and potential, and give them what they want, you will have a much better success rate.

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9 ways you can Speed Up your WordPress website