The speed of your website has a significant impact on its performance and, as a result, its success. Thus, it is always a good idea to regularly check your WordPress site speed. On that note, you may ask yourself: “How do I check my WordPress site speed?”
In this article, we will discuss five ways to check and keep an optimal WordPress Site Speed.
Why do I Need to Check my WordPress Site Speed?
Website performance typically points to how long it takes for pages to load. It should come as no surprise that the majority of people dislike browsing slow-loading websites. Thus, if your website is too slow, you may encounter issues such as:
- A higher bounce rate: Because there is a link between loading times and bounce rates, failing to maintain an optimal WordPress site speed will cost you visitors.
- Lower conversion rates: A less than optimal WordPress site speed can make your website appear unprofessional and difficult to use, lowering conversion rates.
When working with WordPress, you have various options to keep an optimal WordPress site speed and improve your site’s performance. The two most crucial decisions you will make, though, are the web host and theme to employ.
If you make the right choices in both areas, you avail yourself to an optimal WordPress site speed, and thus, a site that performs well. However, keeping an eye on its performance is always a good idea, so you know if any changes are needed.
What Tools can I use to Check my WordPress Site Speed?
You might get tempted to run a single speed test to see how quickly your website loads. One trial or tool, however, rarely suffices to portray a complete picture. On that note, here are five tools to help you find your way out of your “How do I check my WordPress Site Speed?” dilemma.
- Pingdom Tools: Checking Your Site’s Speed
You may use certain tools to check how long it takes for pages on your website to load. Pingdom Tools is one of the most well-known in this area, as it is simple to use and offers many test server locations.
Enter the page URL you want to test and select a server to use with Pingdom Tools. There are four servers to choose from, two of which are in the United States. Most prominent hosting companies have data centers in the United States to get better results if you use those servers.
However, you should also consider running tests on the Australian and Swedish test servers to understand better how quickly your site will load for users in those countries.
Anything under two seconds is generally considered good. Your bounce rate tends to grow rapidly whenever your loading times start to drift above that two-second barrier. However, just because your website loads in less than two seconds does not imply you cannot improve it. Ideally, you should aim for times that are less than one second.
- PageSpeed Insights: Analyzing Your Site’s Current Optimization
Google’s PageSpeed Insights shares a few similarities with Pingdom Tools. You enter the URL you wish to test, press a button, and wait for the results to appear. This tool, however, is not merely for calculating loading times, although it does do that well.
PageSpeed Insights goes above and beyond as it focuses on giving you detailed information on how to improve the speed of your website. It will identify areas that can be improved and recommend what to do next to maintain an optimal WordPress site speed.
However, the best feature of this tool is that it generates distinct findings for both your desktop and mobile versions of your site. You can switch between the two reports by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page.
- Bauertech Dedicated Hosting: Stress-Test Your Site’s Host
As you may be aware, not all hosting packages are created equal. Some will hold up well with modest traffic but will fall apart if there are too many views. The result is even though your website opens rapidly according to speed testing tools, it may not be able to handle multiple users using it at the same time.
Bauertech offers a dedicated hosting plan with DigitalOcean and a stress test comparison between their dedicated hosting and your existing hosting provider. They can even migrate any WordPress website over to their dedicated servers for you to conduct this extensive speed test. This test lets you know if your existing hosting plan is slowing down your WordPress website.
With Bauertech’s dedicated servers, you get 8 GB RAM, four-core processor, Varnish cache, free SSL certificate, and access to SSH and FTP as requested.
- GTmetrix: Testing the Desktop Version of Your Site
GTmetrix, like Pingdom, is another tool that strikes an excellent combination of beginner friendliness and data richness.
To use it, simply enter the URL of your website and click Analyze. It will then provide you with a full analysis of your website. At the top, you will find a summary similar to Pingdom, which includes:
- Load Time
- PageSpeed Score
- YSlow Score (this is a similar concept to PageSpeed Insights)
Then, underneath that, you may use the tabs to delve deeper into the information. You can expand any of the options, just like Pingdom, to see more extensive data. Furthermore, the “What’s this mean?” button is useful if you are unsure about any suggestions.
- WebPagetest: Gauging Your Desktop and Mobile Performance
WebPagetest is the most advanced WordPress speed test tool on this list in terms of features and data. Still, it is also difficult for casual users to benefit from because developers are the target market of the design.
When you generate a WebPagetest test, you can use the Advanced Settings section to:
- Change the number of tests to run;
- Disable JavaScript;
- Simulate a sluggish connection;
- Select the browser and device you want to use; and
- Configure a whole lot more.
Ultimately, WebPagetest runs the test three times by default to obtain more accurate results.
Conclusion
Even the most beautiful and fascinating websites can become obsolete if they are too slow. Visitors nowadays expect websites and applications to load quickly, and they are impatient with stragglers. That means you must constantly monitor your site’s performance and be aware of the tools available to assist you.
When you utilize Bauertech to speed up and optimize your website, you are not only taking a step toward an optimal WordPress site speed, but you are also putting yourself in a better position to compete in the market.
