Improve Load Times of Wordpress Website

Switch to a minimalist theme like Astra, GeneratePress, or OceanWP

These themes are optimized for speed and performance.

Install a Caching Plugin:

W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache are excellent choices.
Configure them to cache your site’s pages, posts, and database queries.

Optimize Images:

Use plugins like Smush or EWWW Image Optimizer to compress images automatically.
Ensure images are in the correct format (WebP/JPEG for photos, SVG/PNG for graphics).

Enable Lazy Loading:

Use the a3 Lazy Load plugin or enable native lazy loading in WordPress 5.5+ to defer loading of off-screen images and iframes.

Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML:

Use Autoptimize or WP Rocket to combine and minify your CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files.

Leverage Browser Caching:

Add caching rules to your .htaccess file:

<IfModule mod_expires.c>
    ExpiresActive On
    ExpiresByType image/jpg "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType image/gif "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 month"
    ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 month"
    ExpiresByType application/x-javascript "access plus 1 month"
    ExpiresByType application/font-woff2 "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType application/font-woff "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType font/woff "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType font/woff2 "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType application/x-font-ttf "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType application/x-font-opentype "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType font/opentype "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType application/x-font-otf "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresByType image/svg+xml "access plus 1 month"
    ExpiresByType image/x-icon "access plus 1 year"
</IfModule>

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN):

Sign up for a free CDN service like Cloudflare and configure it to serve your static files, reducing load times globally.

Optimize Your Database:

Install WP-Optimize or Advanced Database Cleaner to clean up post revisions, spam comments, and expired transients.

Disable Hotlinking:

Add the following code to your .htaccess file to prevent other websites from directly linking to your images:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^$
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^https?://(www\.)?yourdomain\.com/ [NC]
RewriteRule \.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif)$ - [F]

Use a Lightweight Plugin Set:

Deactivate and delete any unnecessary plugins.
Only keep plugins that are essential and well-reviewed.

Disable XML-RPC:

Unless you need it, disable XML-RPC to prevent brute force attacks. You can do this via a plugin like Disable XML-RPC or by adding this to your .htaccess:

<Files xmlrpc.php>
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
</Files>

Reduce HTTP Requests:

Minimize the number of scripts and stylesheets.
Combine and defer loading of JavaScript files using plugins like WP Rocket.

Enable Gzip Compression:

Add the following code to your .htaccess file to enable Gzip compression:

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/plain
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xhtml+xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/rss+xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-javascript

Use a Performance Monitoring Plugin:

Install Query Monitor or P3 (Plugin Performance Profiler) to identify slow-performing plugins and scripts.

Update WordPress, Themes, and Plugins Regularly:

Ensure everything is updated to the latest versions to benefit from performance improvements and security patches.

Consider a More Powerful Hosting Plan:

If performance is still an issue, consider upgrading to a VPS or managed WordPress hosting plan with better resources and support.