The internet marketplace is booming, and if you are not riding on this wave, you are missing out big time. Almost every big brand has a huge online presence to get a customer-rich market. The idea of a globalized market is now real, thanks to internet technology. Whatever type of business you are running, it is now possible to contend with competitors in your niche across the globe if you can gradually build your brand’s visibility.
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It all starts with a highly functional, powerful website; this is where the WordPress content management system (CMS) comes in handy. A WordPress (WP) website is invaluable for any online business. If you want to leverage growing internet users to meet your business objectives, it is time to learn how to optimize your site’s performance, especially speed. Reducing the server response time for your WordPress could be just the item you need in your marketing mix. As such, it is crucial to take time to learn how you can achieve this.
If you are wondering why you should be concerned about your company’s online presence, consider there are over 3.7 billion internet users today, according to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). To appreciate your website’s impact on your bottom line, consider that 96% of Americans have purchased online, and 51% prefer shopping online. If you have always considered your WordPress website or blog a fad, this is the time to change your approach. This is your most powerful weapon in the viciously competitive online market.
Leveraging the Power of Your WordPress Website
Now that you know how the internet can revolutionize your business, it is imperative to understand why you should go for the WordPress CMS instead of all the others. If you are wondering whether a WP website is the ideal platform, consider the following:
- Affordability: This is open-source software for which you don’t need an expensive license. This is the ideal CMS, especially for small businesses.
- Ease of customization: With thousands of free templates and themes, you can easily get the site design that suits your business.
- Ease of use: You don’t need coding or programming skills to use your new website. The one-click-install feature makes things easy for you and your staff.
- Built-in SEO: Search engine optimization (SEO) is integral to your marketing platform. The code behind every WP website is clean and simple, and search engines find it easy to index your content, which boosts ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs).
- Scalability: With thousands of free plugins, you can extend the functionality of your website, be it in terms of security, speed, and other aspects. As your business grows, you need more functionality in such areas making WP the best CMS to use.
There are many other reasons to use WordPress, including the large user community, reliable support, frequent upgrades and total control of your website, a ready built-in blog, and the ability to manage your website from any computer. Little wonder then that over 74.6 million websites rely on WP as their CMS.Optimizing Your WordPress Site Response Time
One of the most important aspects of site administration is guaranteeing top speeds. You might have the most fantastic-looking website, but you are treading on thin ice if your target users find it hard to load the pages.
According to KissMetrics, your site’s load time affects your company’s bottom line in a big way. In a survey by the organization, 47% of users expect a page to load within 2 seconds or less. 40% of internet users abandon a site that takes more than 30 seconds to load. A single-second delay in loading causes a 7% reduction in conversion rates. A similar study indicates that 79% of shoppers who have trouble with a website say they won’t return to the same platform for future purchases. Research shows that server response time is a major factor in site abandonment.
You have to learn how to reduce server response time in WordPress. Among the tested and proven strategies that you can use individually or together with your SEO consultant include:
Using A Content Delivery Network
Using a content delivery network (CDN) is smart, especially now that you expect visitors from different locations. A CDN works by distributing the queries to its network of servers. Finding the server nearest the user to deliver the files leads to faster site loading.
Choosing a Reliable Web Hosting
Your web host is the foundation upon which your WP website rests, and while starting, make sure you consider the important role of your hosting. Don’t rush for cheap shared hosting packages that will be insufficient a few months later. Going for a VPN or a dedicated WordPress hosting plan that will handle increasing requests to reduce server response time is advisable.
Choose The Best Framework Or Theme
Most people quickly determine the most elaborate built-in features when choosing their website theme. While these are great for the appearance of your website, they will affect the server response time. When choosing a WP theme, you should focus on simplicity and speed. Go for a simple frame/ theme such as Genesis or Thesis Theme.
Limit Use Of WordPress Plugins
While plugins are very good for extending the functionality of your website, you should consider the impact this will have on your site’s loading time. The coding and scripts of each plugin will slow your site, limiting its use by looking for alternative methods to get things done.
Other techniques to help reduce your WP site speeds include optimizing your WordPress database, optimizing images, using lazy load plugins, turning off pingbacks and trackbacks, minifying, JavaScript, and CSS, among other techniques. The bottom line is that a fast WP website allows you to leverage this CMS’s benefits to meet your business’s objectives. You enjoy better conversion rates, increased brand visibility, loyalty, and many other benefits.
Author Bio
Derek Iwasiuk is an IT guru based in New York. He runs http://www.derekiwasiuk.com/, a highly informative IT blog targeting website owners. Derek lives in the city with his family. Visit his blog by clicking this link.