A fast website improves user experience, reduces bounce rate, and ranks higher on Google. Here is a practical checklist to make your WordPress site faster.
1. Enable a Caching Plugin (Biggest Impact)
Caching saves a static version of your pages so WordPress does not rebuild them from scratch on every visit.
- WP Super Cache — simple and free
- LiteSpeed Cache — best for Hordanso hosting (our servers support LiteSpeed)
- W3 Total Cache — advanced options for developers
Install via Plugins > Add New, activate, and use the recommended settings to get started.
2. Optimise Images
- Compress images before uploading — use TinyPNG (tinypng.com) or Squoosh (squoosh.app)
- Use the correct format: JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics with transparency, WebP for best compression
- Do not upload images larger than the display size — a 4000px wide image for a 800px column is wasteful
- Install Smush or ShortPixel plugin to automatically optimise all uploaded images
3. Use Hordanso's Free CDN
Hordanso includes a free CDN with all hosting plans. A CDN serves your static files (images, CSS, JavaScript) from servers close to each visitor, dramatically reducing load time for visitors outside Nigeria.
To enable the CDN, contact Hordanso support or check cPanel > CloudFlare (if available on your plan).
4. Use PHP 8.1 or 8.2
PHP 8.x is significantly faster than PHP 7.x. Change your PHP version in cPanel > Select PHP Version. See How to Change the PHP Version (WH-06).
5. Reduce Plugin Count
Each active plugin adds to your page load time. Audit your plugins:
- Deactivate and delete any plugins you no longer use
- Replace multiple single-purpose plugins with one multipurpose one where possible
- Test your site speed before and after deactivating a plugin to measure impact
6. Minimise and Defer JavaScript
Install Autoptimize plugin to combine and minify CSS and JavaScript files. Enable the Defer JS loading option to prevent scripts from blocking page rendering.
Measuring Your Site Speed
- Google PageSpeed Insights: pagespeed.web.dev — free, shows mobile and desktop scores with specific recommendations
- GTmetrix: gtmetrix.com — detailed waterfall chart showing what is loading slowly
- Pingdom: tools.pingdom.com — test from multiple locations including Africa
Tip: Aim for a Google PageSpeed score above 70 for mobile. A score above 90 is excellent for most Nigerian business websites.
