Users, do you prefer fast speed? Of course! We all know that the internet today depends heavily on speed. Regardless of the geographical location around the globe, websites need to have a robust speed.
For those developing enterprise WordPress hosting, fast load time is essential for their websites’ success. It enhances user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO), ultimately generating revenue. Unfortunately, many WordPress users struggle with slow websites. This happens because their website isn’t set up or hosted correctly for a global audience.
Optimizing a WordPress installation for global performance is not just done by installing one plugin or upgrading to the best WordPress hosting for agencies. It also requires your consideration of the structure and configuration of the WordPress installation. This helps to minimize the distance between the user and your server. Thus, your content is delivered as quickly as possible to users across multiple geographical regions.
Why is global performance a unique challenge?
There are three main areas where you should consider setting up your WordPress installation and therefore can ensure that users receive their content quickly, globally:
1. Infrastructure (i.e., how your WordPress installation is set up)
2. Caching (how to set up and maintain a cache database)
3. Content Delivery Networks (also referred to as CDNs)
All three of these areas must work together to ensure effective delivery of consistent and high-performing network speed to users globally.
Start with the right hosting architecture
To build a fast global WordPress website, start by reviewing your infrastructure.
Traditional hosting vs. Cloud hosting
Cloud-based hosting provides a flexible resource allocation model and enables global scalability. It allows for managing traffic spikes without degrading the performance. Datacenters across the globe lower latency and provide an increase in reliability for users.
Build a high-performance web stack
The latest technology available today includes:
- NGINX or LiteSpeed web servers instead of Apache.
- PHP 8.x provides performance improvements through faster execution times.
- Choose an object cache technology such as Redis or Memcached.
Each of these technologies will lower the time required to process requests on the server, which in turn increases website speed.
Use a global CDN to store your content
To improve global WordPress performance, implementing a CDN is a requirement.
How do CDNs improve page load speed?
CDNs cache static assets (images, CSS, JavaScript files, etc.) in geographically dispersed locations so that when a visitor finds your website, the data is returned to them from the closest node instead of going back to the original web server hosting.
This results in:
- Faster delivery of content
- Less load on the web servers
- Faster page rendering
Go beyond static assets
CDNs with advanced features allow the caching of entire HTML pages and provide methods for improving performance dynamically. By using advanced caching techniques, organizations significantly improve the experience of returning customers across different geographic regions.
Optimizing the WordPress caching layers
A successfully optimized WordPress website has multiple caching layers to provide the best user experience possible.
Caching pages
Page caching saves the final HTML page. This saves time when all the PHP scripts and database queries are not processed every time a user visits your website. It also improves your overall website’s performance.
Object and database caching
In a dynamic website, static (or object) caching is the shortcut. In simple terms, caching doesn’t ask for the same information over and over. In fact, the caching system saves a copy of the frequently asked queries, which is much faster to reach. This is particularly useful for websites that have global users. Waiting for a database makes your website feel slow to the user.
Browser caching
By allowing browsers to store static resources on a user’s hard drive, repeated visits become quicker, regardless of where the user is located.
Design a database with efficiency in mind.
The database can be the slowest component in a global WordPress website.
Optimize queries; eliminate excess bloat
If you have too many plugins installed on your website, or a poorly designed theme, or multiple unused entries in your database, you are indirectly causing slow query time. Regularly cleaning up the database and optimizing your queries is vital.
Utilize read replicas for high-traffic websites
If you have a large WordPress installation that receives a high level of traffic, consider using one or more replica databases to reduce the load on your main database. With this upgrade, you can serve users quickly from other locations around the globe.
Image and media optimization
In the majority of cases, images take up most of your webpage’s weight.
Some of your most important design choices for images/media include:
- Select modern image formats, such as WebP or AVIF
- Create responsive images that have the right size
- Moving media’s storage to a cloud object storage location as needed
As soon as images are optimized and delivered via CDN technology at edge locations, it will improve your global load times significantly.
Reduce third-party dependencies
Third-party scripts for analytics, ads, chat widgets, & tracking tools load your website, affecting its speed and global performance.
When you have an external request for third-party scripts, the following occurs:
- Another DNS is needed
- Any blocking script can cause a delay
- You cannot predict how long the response will take
Architect your WordPress website with a performance-first perspective. This can be done through an audit on all the third-party integrations and then reducing or eliminating them wherever possible.
Monitor performance by geography
Optimizing globally can only be accomplished with real data.
Choose performance monitoring tools that:
- Measure the load times in various regions
- Track your Core Web Vital Metrics across regions
- Find slow endpoints or regions
This information allows you to make refinements to your CDN rules, caching strategy, and configuration based on actual user information.
Final thoughts
You must know that optimizing your WordPress website architecture for global load times is not a one-time activity. It’s a continuous process that incorporates everything from utilizing cloud infrastructure services and intelligent caching to using CDN services and performance-centric development strategies.
The websites designed to perform at their best only succeed. Rather than using add-ons such as plugins, these websites must have speed as an integral part.
In a world where even the slightest changes to loading time can greatly affect your website, it is important to have a properly configured WordPress platform for a global audience. This is not an additional expense; rather, it is a fundamental part of your business strategy.
