A faster performing website is vital for your business. It can mean the difference between huge success and big disappointment. You want your home-based business website to run fast so your potential customers will be happy, and also to make sure that Google and the other search engines are happy.
While WordPress isn’t always the fastest website platform out of the box, there are definitely some steps you can take to improve things. Here are my recommendations on how to speed up your WordPress business website.
Get Fast Web Hosting
A fast website starts with fast web hosting. In my opinion, your web hosting is the number one cause of a fast or slow business website. Because WordPress is the number website platform on the web, most web hosts have made WordPress hosting a top priority. However, there are still huge differences between web hosting companies.
If you’re looking for the absolute best WordPress hosting experience (including top website speed), then you should consider choosing a managed WordPress hosting plan. With managed WordPress hosting, you not only get an optimized environment for WordPress, but you also can take advantage of premium WordPress hosting features and expert WordPress support.
Here are my two top recommendations for Managed WordPress Hosting:
WP Engine
WP Engine has been one of the most respected web hosts in the WordPress community for many years. They are totally focused on WordPress, and I personally use them myself. Along with premium managed WordPress features, lightning fast speed and performance, and expert WordPress hosting support, WP Engine now also includes free StudoPress themes (see more below).
WPX Hosting
WPX Hosting really strives to separate themselves from the WordPress hosting competition—and they do! WPX Hosting’s top goals are to provide faster website performance, include an easier to use control panel interface, and to offer super-responsive customer support. I’ve tested them out and they more than pass the test in each category!
The downside of managed hosting is the higher cost. If you’re just starting out, you may not want to pay the extra money for a managed WordPress hosting plan. That’s okay. In fact, it probably makes more sense to start out with a quality non-managed hosting plan that costs less but is still optimized for WordPress. There are some great shared web hosting plans that deliver great WordPress hosting services
Here are my three top recommendations for Non-Managed WordPress Hosting:
InMotion Hosting
I’ve been an InMotion Hosting customer for over 10 years now. If there’s one web hosting company that I’ve recommended the most to people, it’s InMotion. WordPress hosting has always been a priority with InMotion Hosting and they continue to offer top features, performance, and support. That’s why I use InMotion to host this website!
GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks is primarily known as the premier green web hosting company. While that’s true, they also are one of the best hosting companies for providing fast servers, helpful customer support, and great value with their hosting plans. And, GreenGeeks is a global sponsor of WordCamp conferences across the globe.
A2 Hosting
If you’re looking for an affordable shared hosting plan that includes some managed hosting features, then you should check out A2 Hosting. With A2 Hosting, you get their optimized WordPress environment for faster speed and better security.
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
The location of your web server can make a big difference in your website speed. However, if your potential customer base is spread out across the globe, you should definitely incorporate a content delivery network or CDN with your website.
With a CDN, the static content of your website, such as photos, is stored on servers all over the world. When your website visitors browse your site, this content is served from the server closest to their location—thereby reducing page loading times.
If you choose a managed WordPress hosting plan, a content delivery network should be included. However, if your web host doesn’t include a CDN with your hosting plan, you can sign up for a free Cloudflare CDN account here.
Add a Caching Plugin
Some web hosts, such as WP Engine, include their own proprietary caching technology to improve website page loading speed. However, if your web hosting plan doesn’t include caching features, then I would recommend you install one of the two most popular WordPress caching plugins—either WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache.
I use both of these plugins on different websites of mine. As far as performance, there isn’t a noticeable difference for me. WP Super Cache is easier to install and configure, however W3 Total Cache gives you more options.
Optimize JavaScript and CSS
Another way to improve the speed and performance of your website is by optimizing your CSS and JavaScript. While plugins like WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache will help with your page loading times, you can also use a plugin such as Autoptimize to handle your JavaScript and CSS.
Use an Efficiently Coded Theme
Yes, your WordPress theme can also make a big difference in your website speed. While using plugins can help with website performance, you’ll get an even faster performing site if you start out with an efficiently coded and designed theme.
When you’re just starting out with your website, you might be inclined to use the default WordPress theme or one of the many free themes available in the WordPress.org repository. While you can certainly find some nice themes there, it can be hit and miss when it comes to how they perform.
Personally, I would recommend you go with a premium WordPress theme for the best performance and results. My two favorites are Astra and Genesis (StudioPress).
Astra is probably the fastest performing WordPress theme that I’ve used. What I like about Astra is that it’s not only an efficiently developed theme, but you have the ability to customize it more than other themes let you—without having to mess with coding. You can start with the base theme and make changes, or you can start with one of the many starter templates available.
What’s great about Astra is that they have both a free and premium version theme, so you can start by trying out the free version and then for even more features you can upgrade to the paid version. Here’s a link to the free version of Astra.
My other favorite themes are from StudioPress, based on the Genesis Framework. StudioPress themes have long been considered some of the best or most efficiently designed and coded WordPress themes. StudioPress offers both in-house developed themes as well as those created by third parties.
Unlike Astra, StudioPress doesn’t offer any free version themes. Once you become a StudioPress customer, you can get huge discounts on additional themes you want.
However, if you sign up for a WP Engine hosting account, you can get all of the in-house StudioPress themes free. That’s another reason for choosing WP Engine as your host!
Compress Your Images
Images are a must for capturing your audience’s attention and getting them interested in your business. But photos are also one of the biggest causes for slow loading websites. Using a content delivery network will definitely help (see step 2 above). However, for a faster performing site, it’s also critical that you compress your images to reduce their sizes and get your pages to load faster.
There are a number of WordPress plugins available to compress your images. Two of the most popular are the EWWW Image Optimizer and Smush.
Conclusion
While WordPress is the most popular website platform, it isn’t always the fastest. But by implementing the above items when building your home business website, you can significantly improve the speed and performance you get.
