The project involved optimizing a WordPress website for speed and performance, with a strong focus on improving load times, Core Web Vitals, and overall user experience. The site was hosted on a LiteSpeed-compatible server, allowing us to take full advantage of the LiteSpeed Cache plugin. My task was to configure the plugin correctly and implement advanced optimization techniques to ensure the website passed speed tests like PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and WebPageTest.
The website had a number of performance issues including slow loading times, render-blocking resources, unoptimized images, and unused CSS/JS. Additionally, some plugins were causing delays in server response and impacting Time to First Byte (TTFB). Another challenge was to ensure that speed improvements did not break the site’s functionality or design.
The main objectives were to reduce page load time, improve scores on Google PageSpeed Insights (especially LCP, FID, and CLS), and enhance mobile performance without sacrificing visual quality or functionality. A secondary goal was to make sure the site complied with Google’s Core Web Vitals, helping it rank better in search results.
The optimization led to a noticeable improvement in load times across desktop and mobile devices. I configured the LiteSpeed Cache plugin with advanced settings including CSS/JS minification, lazy loading, image WebP conversion, and server-level caching. I also removed unused plugins, cleaned the database, and set up a content delivery network (CDN) for better global performance. After implementation, the website achieved scores above 90 on PageSpeed Insights and passed all Core Web Vitals metrics, resulting in faster performance and a better user experience.