How Do WordPress Caching Plugins Work?
For your site to load, there’s a back-scene process of loading a page that requires information (queries) to be sent to and from the database.
More specifically, there are queries sent in a PHP language to the site’s database, then information is retrieved and generated into an HTML page which is then returned to the website for display.
This multi-step process takes a lot of processing, and thus it takes a while for the information to load properly on the site.
At a basic level, “caching” is just the idea of storing important data in an accessible spot so that it can be more easily and quickly served up to visitors when needed. It is the process of creating a static version of your content and it eliminates the need to retrieve all that information and this process improves performance and loading speed improvements.
Why Do You Need a WordPress Caching Plugin?
A a caching plugin ensures that the content on your webpage does not affect your speed and that you can continue adding information to provide your users with the best content.
There are a lot of different websites available, of various sizes, with different content and information.
Some, like blog and magazine websites, rely on text, images, and videos. These elements make the web page exceedingly heavier and which will result in it taking longer to load.
Image heavy websites (like a photographer’s website, for example), will also take longer to load because of the sheer amount of information.
So is the case with ecommerce websites, where there’s a lot of static, but also dynamic content (shopping items), which make the website heavier, so why not reduce the loading speeds of all the static bloat and make sure that your users have a better experience?
Note: dynamic content can also be cached by using a CDN cache instead of the original, probably distant server, thus reducing the time it takes to load.
Caching, therefore, increases the loading speed of websites and according to Google, “no matter what, faster is better and less is more”.
Note: Using caching plugins is not the only method to increase your websites speed, and should be done in concurrence with other methods which are listed in these great articles: How to Speed up Your WordPress Website — Part 1 and How to Speed up Your WordPress Website — Part 2
Now that we’ve established that you need caching plugins for better loading speed, let’s understand why you need better loading speed times.
Image Optimization for Speed and Performance
While caching plugins significantly improve site speed, pairing them with image optimization can boost performance even further. Using an image optimizer plugin reduces file sizes without sacrificing image quality, helping your site load faster and reducing server load. This is especially useful for image-heavy websites, as optimized images not only improve user experience but also complement caching for a more efficient, faster website.
Discover More Ways to Optimize and Improve Your Website With The Best Free WordPress Plugins
How Does Loading Time Affect Your Site?
There are a number of reasons why having better loading speeds is good for your website.
SEO
Loading times affect your SEO. According to Yoast SEO:
- Site speed is a ranking factor
- Fast sites are easier to crawl
- Fast loading sites have higher conversion rates
- It reduces bounce rates
- It improves general user experience (less stress!)
Faster websites, therefore, get a favorable rank with search engines. Certainly, it’s not the only factor that does, but if we were to compare two websites, with all the information and other factors being the same, the website that loaded faster would get a better rank. Furthermore, Google has confirmed that it takes page speed into consideration.
