The Need for Site Speed Part3
Make Your WordPress Website Load Faster
Site load time is an important component to your overall success. Even if you discount the SEO, and ranking benefits a faster loading site will improve the user experience. Happy visitors make for happy buyers, which is what we are all striving for. Conversions!
Hey Y'all
Well it is almost the weekend. But our work doesn't stop does it? Let' see if we can find a few more milliseconds we can cut from our load time. In part 2 we were able to save a bunch of time with image optimization and the way banners are done. Here are a few more tips.
Disable Emoji Script
With WordPress Version 4.2 emoji script came along as part of the update and is still here. This script loads whether you use emojis or not adding to your load time. If like me you don't use them there is an easy fix.
You can see the emoji script and the load time. Also this is the page with the HTML banner code we looked at in part 2 you can see the load time of it also
If you add this code to your themes function.php file or Theme functions
//* Remove WP emoji code
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'print_emoji_detection_script', 7 );
remove_action( 'wp_print_styles', 'print_emoji_styles' );
it will stop the script from loading.
This is the result.
The emoji script and its load time is gone. You also have a visualization of the time saved from that simple banner trick we looked at in Part 2.
If you are not comfortable editing code this plugin will do it for you.I haven't used it but I believe you can Activate it check to make sure the code is gone and then delete it. At least until the next update.
I would suggest creating a child theme or at least create a copy of the file before editing any code.
Remove Saved Post Revisions and Limit New the Number of New Revisions
I don't know about you but I have many revisions on my posts. Adding and moving and checking appearance back to adding and editing I have at least 50 revisions on one post.
These are all unnecessary baggage for your data base to haul around. If you have an average of 50 revisions and have 50 posts those files add up quickly.
Before
We can easily get rid of this load time anchor with this plugin.
Upload and add and activate plugin. Open plugins go to better delete settings and open.
This page will show you the number of revisions you have saved.
After you delete revisions you will be taken to this screen where you can optimize your data base if needed.
Once you have deleted the revisions and optimized your data base you can now limit the number of revisions that will be saved in the future but I am not going into that . The file you need to edit can break your site in a heartbeat and mine doesn't beat well enough to give you the tools to do that.
You can now deactivate and delete this plugin. Deleting old revisions won't save a bunch of time but every millisecond counts.
In The Need for Site Speed Part4 we will talk about some handy light weight plugins that can have a dramatic effect on load time. So stay tuned.
Until next time,
Recent Comments
41
Remove Saved Post Revisions and Limit New the Number of New Revisions...????
WHAAAT? ... Oh no .... I press update (ie. save) everytime I draw breath!
I do the same Cate. that is why I have 100 revisions for each post. Once the post is done there is no reason for the extra baggage.
WOW!!! Where the crap YOU come from computer geek and what did you do with my buddy, Tim, you pod person???
This is 7 kinds of wonderful.
Although we are blessed with plugins, remember to let them know that we really do need to learn basic coding. It takes time to load plugins too and this will make it a little bit of a trade off.
I know Right? The good thing about it is both these plugins can be deleted after use.
I am leery of putting too much code out there. It is so easy to wreck a site.
Are you under house arrest again this weekend?
Thank you Tim. This is all great information but I have a question that I'm really struggling with. All these plug-ins. There are so many fabulous WP plug-ins. More are recommended every day. And yet the recommended number for Site Health is less than 5. I'm well over that and my Site Health report seems to be telling me I have to get rid of some. The Plug-in component is red (0%). I'd be interested in knowing how many plug-ins you have and what your take is on how many we should have. Thanks for your help.
Plugins are a problem Linda. If you would like send me a PM with your url and I will take a look at what you have going on. maybe I can help.
To add to what Paula said - Once I get my whatchamacallits lined up with my thingamajigs, then I can add a Plethora and all will be well with the world...........until the frogs take over.
Anyone have extra Prozac?
Zanex is the way to go Steve! Don't worry about the frogs I followed Mark Twain's advice and ate the big one first!. Thanks for the visit
My wife was going to help me out and do the mowing. She quit after one round when she murdered a frog :))
OMG - So far I have only hit trees! Oh, and that reminds me, with my grandson gone today..............guess I better crank up the mower!
Mark Twain said ... eat the big frog first?
Why? ... Cos then you're too full - or too busy puking - to eat any more frogs?
You have the correct answer! There is now a fascinating book out called "Eat the Frog", humorous and helpful on Amazon.
Steve
I am sure I will be reading these posts again when they make sense to me down the road. Hopefully not too long away!! Thanks again for the plethura of info.
You are welcome Paula. Even information you are not ready for will come in handy done the road sometimes. Thanks for your time. Hope all is going well
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There was a lot of "big frog" gulping in all your discourse Tim. I am glad you are achieving site speed optimization with your plug ins.
I am not using the plugins I am doing it with code. But plugins work