Would you like to improve your SEO score and speed up your WordPress website?
Then you need to know about website caching.
Caching remains a bit of an enigma for many WordPress users and isn’t often utilised, even though it’s one of the most beneficial technologies available.
The role of caching in WordPress can never be underestimated so here we will cover what it is and why it’s so important.
What is caching?
Caching is the process of creating static versions of your content and displaying that to your visitors.
Normally, each time a browser requests a web page, the server has to do several complex calculations to retrieve the information on your site. It requires back and forth queries to be sent to and from the database to generate the latest posts, header, footer, and any other text or imagery found on the website.
As most websites rarely change from day to day, creating static copies of your pages and serving that to your visitors reduces the server load, leading to faster performance of your website.
How does caching work?
The first time somebody visits your website they’ll receive the page in the normal way. The request is received, processed on the server, and the web page is turned into an HTML file and sent to their web browser.
When caching is turned on, the server stores the HTML file so the next time the visitor views the page, the server doesn’t need to convert it to HTML. Instead, it sends the already prepared HTML file to the browser.
What happens if my content changes?
When you have caching properly set up, it has a mechanism to empty and regenerate the cache when specific conditions are met.
Therefore, when you publish something new, the cached version of the page would be deleted and the fresh content will be displayed to the visitor.
The benefits of caching
There are many benefits of caching in WordPress. The main advantage being that it enhances the speed and performance of your website. It can also help reduce the load on your hosting server.
Google’s algorithm (that determines a website’s ranking) takes page speed into consideration so the faster it loads, the higher you’re likely to rank.
Cached websites provide a better user experience as the user’s bandwidth is also saved since static cached pages are a smaller file size compared to dynamic requests.
By implementing caching, you are equipping your WordPress website to perform better if there are any sudden spikes in traffic.
Should I implement caching on my WordPress website?
Caching enhances the performance of your website without forfeiting anything in the process. When it’s used correctly, it can significantly increase the page loading times, decrease the load on your server, and provide a better user experience to your visitors.
At WP Tech Support, we can handle all aspects of your website’s maintenance to enhance its performance. Our great value monthly plans range from just £35 per month – a small price to pay to ensure your website is preforming to the best of its ability.