77% of consumers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
say loading speed impacts purchase behavior.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
One <\/strong>study<\/strong><\/a> found that at least 77%<\/strong> of consumers acknowledge a page\u2019s loading speed can influence their pre- and post-purchase behavior\u2014whether it\u2019s their decision to buy, return for repeat business, or recommend a brand to a friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As an agency, your clients count on you to provide reliable, sturdy, and flexible web experiences that meet the rapidly changing demands of the digital marketplace. Providing that level of assurance is a big part of the value you bring as an agency\u2014if not the largest. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Thankfully, the versatility of WordPress can make this endeavor relatively straightforward, with a few minor tweaks, plugins, and other freely available tools. Below, we\u2019ll review some results-driven best practices that any agency can implement to ensure they get the most from their WordPress builds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Managing load times can involve a considerable amount of experimentation. That\u2019s why it\u2019s always a good idea to develop initial benchmarks, which can then serve as a comparison point for future changes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Benchmarking is a crucial step before making any changes to your WordPress site. Never skip it!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n One particularly helpful set benchmarking metrics is Google\u2019s Core Web Vitals<\/a>, which are three key metrics that provide insights into aspects of site and page performance that affect user experience, such as page loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Striving for improvement with these elements will not only boost the load time of your clients\u2019 websites, but their overall search ranking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The three Core Web Vitals metrics are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use tools like the Google Search Console<\/a> to measure and track these benchmarks, reflecting data mined from actual user experiences in the field. You\u2019ll not only get deeper insights into how visitors are interacting with your site, but likely identify areas for potential improvement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re troubleshooting your site, Google PageSpeed Insights<\/a> is another essential resource that can provide diagnostic feedback via a simulated build of your website.. Rather than relying solely on field data, PageSpeed Insights allows for dynamic testing for optimization, without any changes going live before they\u2019re ready. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After documenting the present state of the site\u2019s performance, obvious areas for improvement will likely be apparent. Whatever the results, this data empowers your agency to make informed changes as you optimize your clients\u2019 sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plugins are one of the standout elements of WordPress<\/a>, supported by a vibrant community of open-source developers dedicated to enhancing the platform with a wide range of flexible, third-party tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thatsaid, given the vast array of options, administrators can often find themselves slipping into a \u201ckid in a candy store\u201d mentality. While it\u2019s easy to understand why a user may want to employ as many pluginsas possible, this can quickly lead to its own set of problems. Just one bad apple can cause significant lag time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s why performance should always be a primary focus when determining which plugins to incorporate into a build. Always run tests against your benchmarks when adding new plugins, and consider whether any existing plugins may be dragging the client\u2019s site speed down to suboptimal or unacceptable levels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, none of this is to say you should avoid plugins entirely\u2014far from it. Many of them are capable of delivering significant improvements to both your site performance and user experience. Query Monitor<\/a>\u2014an essential tool that analyzes each plugins\u2019 individual impact on loading times\u2014should be a cornerstone of every build. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, stay alert for any creeping negative impacts from the plugins you already use, and act accordingly when making new changes in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If plugins are dragging down site performance and your client simply can\u2019t live without them, don\u2019t worry\u2014all hope is not lost. Contact your hosting provider to discuss increasing server memory, or other WordPress optimization packages they may have available.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Both server- and client-side caching can drastically improve your site\u2019s load times, so make sure you\u2019re taking full advantage of their capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since both methods provide a speedy edge to your site, it\u2019s crucial to keep an eye out for any plugins or third-party themes that may alter your server\u2019s default cache settings. It\u2019s not always obvious when a plugin or theme disables caching, so connect with your hosting team to determine which caching options will work best for your clients\u2019 sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you use a managed hosting provider, consider asking what kinds of cache optimizations they may have available. For example, WP Engine<\/a> provides all customers with proprietary frontend caching via EverCache<\/a>, as well as the ability to create custom page variations within a page cache, allowing users to see unique content dynamically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, in an eCommerce context, caching can entail an artful balance between offering a dynamic experience for your shoppers, while retaining the performance benefits that caching can provide. Assets like product descriptions or price\u2014which are less likely to change\u2014can be cached for speedy load times. Other security-sensitive or personalized assets\u2014the checkout page, product recommendations\u2014will then load from the server (EverCache is perfect for addressing these kinds of issues).<\/p>\n\n\n\n When ordering a package online, would you prefer they shipped the item from a warehouse 300 miles away\u2014or 3,000? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The same question applies to your clients\u2019 digital properties and their global audience. A content delivery network<\/a> (CDN) is a network that automatically delivers a site\u2019s assets from different locations, based on the user\u2019s location. For example, a CDN could connect a visitor from Barcelona to a datacenter in London or Paris, instead of San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the most popular CDNs include Amazon Web Services, CloudFlare, and MaxCDN, with most offering free versions of their services. At WP Engine, we offer CDN services<\/a> bundled with all of our plans, including tools like Page Speed Boost<\/a>, which can significantly leverage the power of your content distribution network.<\/p>\n\n\n\nABT: Always be testing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/DEVELOPER_2023-03-09_Group_Parul-Priya_Fran-Agulto_3365-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nPlugins: Helping or hurting? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/3_2023-03-09_Parul-Priya_Fran-Agulto_Kimberly-Dovi-Photography_3605-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMonitor your cache settings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Use a content delivery network<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CDN-Diagram@2x-1-edited.png\")