Boosting Site Efficiency: A Guide on Speed and Performance Optimization with Elementor
In our comprehensive guide, we highlight the importance of site speed and performance for SEO ranking and user experience, exploring various strategies such as image optimization, minimizing JS and CSS files, implementing effective caching solutions, utilizing CDN services, choosing lightweight themes, and leveraging the features of Elementor. We emphasize continuous site monitoring and optimization to cater to evolving website demands.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, the performance of your website can make or break your online success. A delay of just a few seconds in loading your webpage can significantly increase bounce rates and negatively impact your SEO ranking. If you’re using Elementor, one of the most popular WordPress page builders, you’ll be glad to know there are several ways you can optimize your site’s speed and overall performance.
This article will provide tips and techniques on how to keep an Elementor site running quickly and smoothly. We will delve into various aspects, such as image optimization, minimizing JS and CSS files, and employing effective caching solutions.
Caching is a process that stores copies of your website’s pages in a cache, or a temporary storage space, so they can be quickly delivered to a user when requested. Implementing a caching solution is another powerful way to boost your website’s performance.
There are various caching plugins available, such as WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, and WP Super Cache. These plugins create static HTML pages for your site that are lighter and faster for your server to load, thus improving site speed.
Additionally, you can leverage browser caching. This means that the static files of your site are stored on the visitor’s browser, so they don’t have to be reloaded every time the visitor revisits your site. Most caching plugins offer this feature, enhancing your site’s speed even more.
Effective caching solutions like using caching plugins and leveraging browser caching can greatly optimize your Elementor site’s speed and performance.
It is an efficient method for improving the performance of Elementor sites. Here are some pointers to consider when selecting and implementing a caching plugin:
Select a dependable caching plugin that is Elementor-compatible. W3 Total Cache, WP Fastest Cache, WP Rocket, WP Super Cache and Cache Enabler are among the compatible plugins listed by Elementor.
WP Rocket is a highly regarded caching plugin for Elementor sites. It has built-in compatibility with Elementor and requires no configuration. When you make changes to Elementor CSS, it will clear the cache and some files will be automatically excluded from optimization to avoid issues.
If you’re using a caching plugin, disable Elementor’s advanced caching feature.
Configure the caching plugin to meet your requirements. For example, you can specify a cache timeout, exclude specific pages or posts from caching, and clear the cache when changes are made.
Using a caching plugin can significantly improve the loading speed of your Elementor site, leading to a higher SEO ranking, a better user experience and higher conversions.
Implementing a caching plugin, such as WP Rocket or Autoptimize, can significantly improve the speed of your site. These plugins work by storing a static version of your website, which reduces server processing time and speeds up your site for returning visitors.
Using a CDN Service
A Content Delivery Network (CDN), such as Cloudflare is a global network of servers. It aids in the delivery of content to users more quickly by delivering it from the server closest to them, reducing latency and improving page load times. Another effective way to improve the performance of Elementor sites is to use a CDN (Content Delivery Network) service.
Here are some pointers to consider when selecting and utilizing a CDN service:
- Select a reputable CDN service that works with Elementor. Cloudflare, StackPath, and Bunny are a few examples of popular CDN services.
- Selecting a Lightweight Theme is a critical step in improving the performance of Elementor sites.
- Choose a simple and sleek theme with a small file size and few to no plugin dependencies.
- Look for responsive, SEO-optimized, secure and frequently updated themes.
- Avoid themes that are overly complex and have far more features than you will ever use.
- Check the theme’s performance with a performance testing tool such as GTmetrix.
- Consider using an Elementor-optimized theme, such as the Hello theme, which was created by Elementor and is tailored for their page builder. Because it uses only 6kb of memory, the customization options are limited if you use the theme alone.
- Using a lightweight theme can improve the loading speed of your Elementor site, resulting in a higher SEO ranking.
Using a lightweight theme
It has several benefits, including:
- Faster page loading times, which can improve your site’s user experience and SEO ranking.
- Improved website performance, as lightweight themes are designed to be efficient and fast.
- Increased security, because lightweight themes are less likely to include extraneous features that can cause vulnerabilities in your site.
- Improved search engine rankings, because faster loading times can boost your site’s SEO ranking.
When looking for a lightweight theme, look for one with a small file size a simple and sleek design, responsiveness, SEO optimization, and frequent updates. It is also recommended to test the theme’s performance with a performance testing tool such as GTmetrix. Overall, using a lightweight theme can significantly improve your Elementor site’s performance and speed, resulting in a better user experience, SEO ranking, and conversions.
Opting for a lightweight theme like Hello Theme can drastically boost your site’s speed. It’s known as the fastest theme for Elementor due to the elimination of unnecessary features, thus improving the overall load time.
Activating Elementor Experiments
Elementor ongoing experiments are features that are still in Alpha/Beta versions and are likely to change before final release. Among the ongoing experiments available in Elementor are:
- Custom Fonts: With this experiment, users can add custom fonts to their Elementor site.
- Responsive Borders: In this experiment, users can add responsive borders to their Elementor site.
- Sticky Elements: With this experiment, users can make elements on their Elementor site sticky.
- CSS Print Method: Users can change the CSS print method to “external file” to improve site speed.
- Preload Fonts: Users can preload fonts to improve site speed.
Elementor Experiments is a feature that allows you to experiment with new and experimental features. It can help improve the performance of your website and provide you with access to the most recent functionalities.
Changing CSS Print Method to “External File”:
“Internal Embedding” and “External File” are the two CSS print methods available in Elementor. The following are the distinctions between the two options:
- Internal Inclusion: On each page, the CSS is included as an independent stylesheet. When you have a small amount of CSS and want to avoid additional HTTP requests, this option is recommended.
- External File: With this option, the CSS is written to a separate file that is loaded with the page. This option is recommended if you have a lot of CSS and want to improve site speed by shrinking the HTML file.
It is important to note that changing the CSS print method to “external file” can occasionally result in issues with updates not being properly reflected. If this occurs, try reverting the CSS print method to “internal embedding”. Additionally, before changing the CSS print method, it is recommended to test your site in the Chrome Dev Tools Network report + KeyCDN’s Performance Test to determine whether your Elementor site is slow due to CSS/JavaScript, images, fonts or TTFB.
Changing your CSS print method to “external file” ensures that the CSS is loaded in a separate file, reducing the overall HTML document size and thus, improving load times.
Disabling Default Fonts/Icons
The default font in Elementor, according to the search results is Arial. Elementor includes over 800 Google Fonts and users can also add custom fonts to expand their options. Elementor comes with four font and color groups by default: Primary, Secondary, Text, and Accent. Users can change the attributes of these groups in the Typography menu by changing the global name. Elementor also includes an Icon Library with Font Awesome Pro icons. Elementor users can disable default fonts by going to Elementor > Settings and checking the box next to “Disable Default Font.
You can reduce the amount of data your site has to load by disabling unnecessary default fonts or icons. As a result, loading times are reduced and the user experience is improved.
Using WOFF2 to host fonts locally:
WOFF (Web Open Font Format) permits smaller file sizes and improved performance. By hosting your fonts locally using WOFF, you reduce your reliance on external resources, which speeds up the load time of your site.
Preloading Fonts
Here are some best practices for font preloading in Elementor:
- Limit how many fonts and formats you preload.
- Check that the fonts you preload are compatible with your CSS.
- Use modern browsers and double-check browser compatibility.
- Local fonts should be preloaded.
- Make use of the WOFF2 font format.
- Use resource hints like rel=”preload” and as=”font” to request that the browser begin downloading the required resource as soon as possible4.
- Make use of the proper font-face declaration.
- Avoid using invisible text while font loading.
Preloading fonts can help improve the Cumulative Layout Shift metric and the Largest Contentful Paint metric, both of which are Core Web Vitals. Additionally, before preloading fonts, it is recommended to test your site in the Chrome Dev Tools Network report + KeyCDN’s Performance Test to determine whether your Elementor site is slow due to CSS/JavaScript, images, fonts or TTFB.
Preloading fonts informs the browser about the important resources that should be downloaded first, ensuring these assets are available as soon as they’re needed, thereby improving performance.
It is important to note that removing unnecessary elements from a webpage can improve site speed and reduce perceived page load times for visitors, resulting in a better user experience.
Every element on a page requires HTTP requests to the server, which can slow down your site. By reducing the number of elements, you reduce these requests and help increase your site’s speed.
Reducing Number of Elements on a Page
Here are some ways to identify unnecessary elements on a webpage in Elementor based on the search results:
- Use Elementor’s Navigator feature to see all the elements on a page and show or hide them as needed.
- Examine the webpage’s header section, which typically includes the company name, logo, login information, and a menu, often with navigation drop-down links.
- Avoid using too many div tags and avoid using memory-intensive JavaScript that may generate a large number of DOM nodes.
- To reduce the number of HTTP requests, check the CSS rendering performance in Elementor and select the Internal Embedding option under the CSS Print method.
- Deactivate all plugins other than Elementor (and Elementor Pro) to see if any of them are causing unwanted elements on the page.
Optimizing Images
Images play a significant role in the overall performance of your website. High-resolution images can drastically slow down your page load times. However, optimizing these visuals can give your site speed a significant boost.
Firstly, always consider the size of your images. Opt for JPG for large photos or illustrations and PNG for simpler or smaller images with transparent backgrounds. Secondly, you can utilize various tools such as TinyPNG or WP Smush to compress your images without sacrificing quality. Also, you can use Elementor’s built-in image optimization features for further enhancements.
Optimizing images by resizing, choosing the right format and using compression tools can significantly improve your website’s speed.High-resolution images can slow down your page load times. By optimizing these visuals using techniques like compression or choosing the right format, you can significantly improve your site’s speed.
Reviewing Plugins
There are several design options available for customizing customer review widgets in Elementor. Here are some of the most common ones:
Display options: Select from a variety of display types such as carousel, grid or list review types
Social proof: Display feedback from satisfied customers and user reviews to demonstrate the worth of your company.
Rich content: Display star ratings and social icons to make reviews more credible.
Increase conversions: Increase sales and conversions by encouraging users to become customers by showcasing the credibility of your product.
Use a collection of social icons to indicate which social network the client’s review was posted on, and use the auto-play slides view,
Border and padding: Set the border radius to control corner roundness, select a border color and place the padding within the review card’s box border.
Header options include selecting the background color of the review card’s header, adjusting the space between the header and the review text, deciding whether to show or hide the separator line between the header and the review text, and selecting the color of the separator line.
Change the color of the Name/Title/Review, change the typography options for the Name/Title/Review, and set the separator line height.
Image options: Control the image gap and adjust the size of the reviewer’s image.
It is important to note that the design options will vary depending on the plugin you select and some plugins will provide more advanced customization options than others. It is also advisable to read the plugin’s documentation and user reviews before installing and using it on your website.
Plugins can sometimes slow down your Elementor site. Regularly review and remove unnecessary plugins to keep your site running optimally.
Implementing Page Caching
This step can provide several benefits, including:
- Caching reduces the amount of time it takes to load a page by serving a cached version of the page rather than generating it from scratch.
- Reduced bandwidth consumption: Caching reduces the amount of data that must be transferred between the server and the user, which can help reduce bandwidth consumption and costs.
- Improved user experience: Faster page load times and lower bandwidth usage can result in a better user experience and higher user satisfaction.
- Improved SEO rankings: Faster page load times can boost your website’s SEO rankings and search engine rankings.
- Increased conversions: Improved user experience and faster page load times can lead to increased conversions and sales.
It is important to note that implementing page caching necessitates selecting the appropriate caching plugin and method for your website, as well as ensuring that the cached content is up-to-date and consistent with the most recent changes to your website.
Page caching involves storing static versions of your site’s pages, reducing the load on your server and improving your site’s loading speed.
Limiting Plugin Usage
You can use the Restrict for Elementor plugin or other similar plugins to control and protect access to your Elementor-powered website. These plugins allow you to restrict, show and hide widgets, sections, and columns based on a variety of criteria, such as user roles, meta keys, and values, capabilities, post/page author, and visitor’s country or continent.
You can improve your website’s performance and reduce the risk of security vulnerabilities by limiting plugin usage. It is also advisable to read the plugin’s documentation and user reviews before installing and using it on your website.
Too many plugins can significantly slow down your site’s performance. Only use plugins that are required for your site’s functionality.
Optimizing Your Database
Based on the search results, some common causes of slow loading Elementor websites are:
- Custom code: Because code must be written and managed separately from the WordPress core, Elementor’s reliance on custom code can result in a slower website overall.
- Large image sizes: Large image sizes can cause your website to load slowly. Image size reduction is advised.
- Factors relating to the server: Memory, bandwidth, the location of the server in relation to the user, and other factors all have a significant impact on site speed. Free or shared hosting services are frequently the source of a slow website.
- Lower memory limit: A common cause of loading times in Elementor is the lower memory limit. Ideally, you should increase the WordPress memory limit.
- Hosting: The host you choose has a huge impact on how well your website performs. Cloud hosting, for example, is generally the fastest solution, rivaling VPS hosting in terms of page load times.
- Plugins and themes: Having a lot of plugins installed on your WordPress site can also slow it down. Certain themes may also have an impact on website performance. Furthermore, Elementor plugins, such as Elementor Pro, which adds even more CSS/JavaScript, are ineffective.
It is important to note that optimizing your Elementor website requires identifying the specific cause of the slow loading times and taking appropriate measures to address it.
Regularly cleaning up your database by removing unnecessary data can help improve your website’s performance. Tools like WP-Optimize can automate this process.
Conclusion
Website speed optimization is no longer an option but a necessity for any site hoping to retain visitors and maintain a good SEO ranking. Utilizing the powerful Elementor platform for your WordPress site offers numerous possibilities for optimization. By appropriately optimizing your images, minimizing your JS and CSS files, and using effective caching solutions, you can ensure a smooth, fast-loading website that offers a great user experience.
As you implement these steps, always remember to monitor your website’s performance regularly. Tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights can provide valuable metrics to assess your progress. Optimizing your website’s speed and performance is a continuous process that adapts as your site grows and changes.
Regular optimization and monitoring of site speed and performance are essential to maintaining high user satisfaction and a strong SEO ranking for your Elementor-powered website.
