How to increase website speed without a plugin? Try these simple steps.
Step 1. Check Current Speed
Use Gooogle PageSpeed Insights to test your website’s current speed. Once you establish a benchmark you can use it to compare changes as you make adjustments.
This is actually a screenshot from the test I ran on Google PageSpeed Insites.
I ran the test at least 3 time to get an average. A good performance score would be 85 of above. BTW don’t spend a lot of time trying to reach 100 – totally unnecessary and close to impossible.
So now that we have a starting point, let’s go to the next step…
Step 2. Eliminate unnecessary plugins
Every plugin you use has to be loaded which takes time. You can greatly reduce the load time by using only essential plugins.
You should aim for 20 or fewer plugins on your site. Fewer still, if you can manage it.
Step 3. Compress your images
Many high-quality images you procure on a stock graphics site or just google will often be “.png”. You should compress all your images and change them to jpeg.
There are plenty of plugins that will do that. I use Smush, but if you don’t want to use a plugin, you can open them in your favorite graphics editor or even windows default program.
Step 4. Get Fast Web Hosting
Make sure you use a good hosting company. This site is presently running on Go Daddy. They have been pretty solid over the years, offering both speed and reliability.
I do have to admit that, as of late, reliability has been a disappointment and customer service isn’t what it used to be.
In fairness, this could be Co-vid related as much of their staff is working from home. Maybe this is causing some quality control issues. I’m not sure.
Notwithstanding that, moving forward, I’m going to try Bluehost.
My research suggests, they are cheaper, more reliable and because they are specifically geared for WordPress, they offer seamless integration into the platform.
Step 5. Use A CDN
This step ties in to step 4 regarding hosting. Make sure whatever hosting company you go with, you get a CDN or Content Distribution Network.
What is a CDN? A CDN is a network that duplicates your website information on proxy servers which coincide with the user’s location.
So imagine you’re someone in Tokyo Japan trying to access a website in New York.
Without a CDN that the user would have to wait for the data to travel all the way from New York.
But with a CDN the user in Tokyo would access a proxy server in Tokyo making delivery much, much faster.
Step 6. Get A Custom Theme
I tried using WordPress default themes, and while they were good, they weren’t nearly as fast as the premium themes from MyThemeShop which I use on all my sites. (BTW there are other premium themes out there, I just happen to like the ones at MyThemeShop – they are fast and clean).
Not only were the themes faster, they were also more mobile-friendly which is essential. It’s one of the ranking factors that Google uses in determining where to rank your webpage.
As mobile use is becoming more prominent, it’s crucial that your website is optimized for mobile use.
After making the preceding changes, go back to Gooogle PageSpeed Insights and check the effects of the changes. Keep tweaking until you get the desired results.
Step 7. Repeat The Process
Repeat the process until you get a score of at least 85 for desktop. Keep in mind, mobile will generally be a little slower. That said, I’d shoot for at least 75 and up for mobile.
Conclusion
I hope you found this post “How To Increase Website Speed Without A Plugin” helpful.
Although the subject of the article is to make your website faster without plugins, there are some that can make the process easier.
Plugins can, in fact make your websites overall performance better and help with the user’s experience.
For list of a few of, what I believe are, must-have plugins visit my post; My Recommended Tools
One last thing, if you like my content PLEASE bookmark like and share. It helps a lot. Thanks!
