A quick look at a forum dedicated to websites is enough to see how difficult it can be for some people to keep a website running smoothly. It is also worth acknowledging that when it comes to website performance, things can quickly become complex or even stressful for the general public.
Yet when a website runs on a CMS, it requires regular attention to remain performant over time. This applies to almost every type of CMS. WordPress is no exception, even though it powers no less than 43% of websites worldwide.
So, how can you keep a website performing well over time? That is today’s question!
Choosing a quality web host
Let’s start with the basics.
Do you want a website that performs well from the moment it goes live and continues to do so over time?
Then you probably will not be surprised to read that choosing a good web host is essential.
The temptation to choose an ultra-cheap or low-cost hosting plan from a provider frequently advertised on television can be strong. Unfortunately, the disappointment can be just as significant once the website has been installed with a host offering cheap plans.
Good hosting comes at a cost. Choosing the cheapest option is not necessarily the best approach, even if the reasoning is understandable.
Choose a quality web host with a strong reputation for performance. Ideally, look for one whose customers, including businesses you may know, are satisfied with its services. A good web host does not necessarily have to be expensive to provide a quality server. In many cases, its prices will simply be in line with the market.
Most importantly, make sure that both the hosting provider and the plan you choose are suited to your website’s needs.
Website design and performance
If someone asks me about the role of website design in performance, I already know which technologies I would recommend or advise against for a WordPress website.
Should I go into more detail? Yes.
I would not really recommend Elementor, whether in its free or Pro version. It may be suitable if it is configured very carefully, but even then, I remain cautious.
Instead, I would recommend using native WordPress features, or solutions that are as close to native as possible. I would also recommend using only a limited number of carefully selected plugins, along with a good caching solution.
WordPress should also be configured carefully to help the database remain fast during the first few years, including:
- Regularly cleaning up transients.
- Limiting the number of revisions for pages, posts, and custom post types, if applicable.
And, of course, I would recommend using a good caching solution.
As you can see, the quality of the web host matters. However, the website’s design, WordPress configuration, and the application of good practices are just as important.
Regular website maintenance over time
Do you own a car or a fixed air-conditioning system? If so, you already know that regular maintenance is essential in both cases.
Why? Because maintaining equipment, vehicles, and many mechanical or technological products helps ensure both their safety and their durability.
The same applies to a WordPress website. It starts with simple, beneficial actions that do not require advanced technical knowledge:
- Empty the trash for posts, pages, and custom post types.
- Clear your spam folder or, even better, disable comments if you do not need them.
- Limit the size of your media files and use suitable formats such as WebP or AVIF.
Since some actions are simple while others are more complex and technical, the ideal solution is to arrange professional maintenance for your WordPress website.
Professional maintenance generally begins with an audit.
An audit helps identify what is working well and what could be improved. It also makes it possible to list the actions that need to be taken on the website and, in some cases, around it.
For example, the following improvements may be necessary:
- Streamlining the number of plugins.
- Adjusting the settings of certain plugins.
- Replacing a plugin with another solution or with PHP code.
- Cleaning up the database, with a level of depth adapted to the website’s needs.
- Removing unused database tables left behind after a plugin has been deleted.
- Adjusting server settings.
- Configuring PHP and its options.
- Updating the PHP version.
And so on.
Most of a website’s long-term durability depends on high-quality, carefully tailored WordPress maintenance. A website with e-commerce features will naturally have different maintenance needs from a relatively lightweight brochure website.
Regular checks
Do you lack the time or budget for professional WordPress maintenance? You can still check your website regularly, starting by measuring its performance from the moment it goes live and, above all, over time.
There are several tools available for this purpose. Some are completely free, while others are paid.
Let’s take the example of the most popular one, even though it is still relatively unknown to the general public: PSI, also known as PageSpeed Insights.
- It is Google’s free official tool for measuring a website’s main performance indicators.
- It helps you assess your website’s loading speed on mobile and desktop devices.
- It helps you identify what is working well, what could be improved, and how to resolve performance issues.
Other tools are available, such as GTmetrix. Try them out and find the one that best suits your needs.
You may learn a great deal about your website. You might receive recommendations such as hosting your fonts locally to prevent your website from contacting Google’s font servers. You may also discover that using too many fonts can slow down your pages.
In short, research and testing are also part of the learning process. You soon discover that maintaining a website over time involves much more than a simple spring clean. It is an ongoing task that requires regular attention 😉
Seeing your website as a long-term investment
Many people pay to have a website created, making that website an investment. Maintaining it, or having it maintained, extends its lifespan. In the best-case scenario, high-quality maintenance also helps it remain performant over time.
Maintenance is not simply an expense, especially when it is outsourced. It is also an investment in the website’s long-term durability.
A website that has required a significant, or even substantial, budget to create is very likely a communication tool, a sales tool, or both. It has probably been designed to help achieve specific objectives.
To ensure that this tool remains optimized, continues to contribute to those objectives, and meets the various challenges facing the business, it needs to be properly maintained.
That remains the best way to make your website investment profitable.
