Top 5 WordPress Caching Plugins to Speed UP Website
You are here because you want to speed up your WordPress site. There are different ways to enhance your WordPress speed. One of the most useful methods is to use caching plugins. This guide introduces you to the best WordPress caching plugins to speed up your WordPress site.
This article explains what is cache. What is the importance of cache? How they play an important role to speed up your WordPress site. So let’s come straightly to the point!
What is Cache?
If you are familiar with the computer memory hierarchy, you will already know the cache. The cache is a specific memory that gives quick access upon request. How? Let’s take a brief look at the memory hierarchy to understand the cache.
A hard disk is the main storage to store information and data on computers. However, it takes a lot of time to retrieve data from the hard disk. So it is the slowest memory type. Manufacturers added an additional level of memory i.e. RAM. RAM has less storage but very quick for retrieving data as compared to hard disk. Still, RAM doesn’t provide speed up to mark.
For example, when processor requests for data, still, a computer needs to run many processes to retrieve data. So the system’s performance decline for frequently requested information. So here comes cache!
Caching has the least storage but the most efficient for retrieving data. Computer stores frequently requested information in the cache. This allows a computer to retrieve data very quickly. So this technique boosts the performance of the computer.
You can utilise the same technique in your WordPress website to boost the performance. It improves the loading speed of your website.
WordPress is a dynamic CMS. When each time a visitor request a page, WordPress fetches information from the database. It runs many steps to fetch the requested page and send it to the user’s browser. So this entire process can take a lot of time.
This situation becomes even worse when many users visit at the same time. If your website is very slow, it will affect your search ranking.
What is the importance of Cache?
As you know, speed is a ranking factor for search engines. In addition, it is very important for the best user experience. So if you want to speed up your website, you need to use cache concepts on your website.
Caching facilitates WordPress in skipping many useless steps that affect loading speed. When you use the cache, you don’t need to go through the entire process again and again. The cache stores a copy of all web pages after the first load. When a user requests a page, the system returns the latest cached version of that page to the user.
Caching plugins are very important because they speed up your WordPress site. All you need to step up the caching plugins properly to improve your WordPress performance.
The loading time of a website shouldn’t be more than 3 seconds. Search engines drop your search ranking if you don’t improve the loading speed. Search Engines, especially Google, give a significant advantage to the faster websites in the ranking.
In addition, a faster site enhances user experience. For example, if users open multiple sites in different tabs. And other’s site is faster than yours. The users will definitely visit a faster website. If they find their needed content on other’s sites, why they will return back to your site?
There are high chances for a fast loading website that visitors navigate multiple pages. Because a fast website encourages visitors to visit more pages. So it improves engagement and user experience as well.
Now, you are familiar with the importance of cache for your website. Luckily, you can easily speed up your WordPress site. There are different caching plugins available that assist you to boost your site speed.
Best WordPress Caching Plugins to speed up your WordPress site
You can find many useful caching plugins for your sites. However, we are going to discuss here the 5 best WordPress Caching Plugins. Let’s discuss them all one by one:
1. WP Rocket
If you are looking for an incredible plugin, WP Rocket is the finest option. The WP Rocket is the easiest plugin to use. If you are a beginner in WordPress, it is an optimum solution to boost the performance of your site. Because it is a user-friendly caching plugin. In addition, it is straightforward to use because it doesn’t use difficult technical terms.
You can install WP Rocket on your website just in one-click. After installation, there is no need to manually cache your site. Its powerful crawler automatically retrieves your site pages and build up the cache. This plugin comes with a very useful caching setting.
For example, WP Rocket automatically turns on useful settings such as page cache and gzip compression. Further, it turns on the cache pre-loading option as well.
WP Rocket also provides many useful optional features. So you can turn on those features to improve performance. For example, you can turn on CDN support, minification, lazy loading images, and DNS pre-fetching.
In simple words, it is the simplest plugin that comes with a few basic features. It is the best WordPress caching plugins that boost the speed of your site!
2. W3 Total Cache
It is another most powerful WordPress caching plugin. W3 Total Cache is a comprehensive plugin loaded with a ton of options. This amazing plugin can be a little bit intimidating for absolute beginners.
W3 Total Cache offers all basic to advanced features. It includes all features that you will need to set up the cache for your WordPress site. For example, it provides gzip compression, CDN support, and page cache. It further includes limited minification support, object cache can much more.
Although it is a superclass plugin, a beginner might face difficulty to use W3 Total Cache. However, after a bit of practice, you can avail of the most useful features of this plugin.
3. WP Super Cache
If you are looking for a free but most robust caching plugin, it is for you! WP Super Cache is the most prominent and free plugin. Many top WordPress hosting companies recommend this plugin to boost your site’s loading speed.
WP Super Cache comes with all important caching features. It includes gzip compression, cache pre-loading and page cache. In addition, it also offers advanced-cache pre-loading, CDN support and more.
This plugin is very easy to use. You can use a separate tab while setting or configuring this plugin. WP Super Cache is free but provides the best features like the paid plugins.
4. Sucuri Firewall
If you want to improve your web security and performance, the Sucuri Firewall is an ideal option. As the name suggests, the primary purpose of this plugin is to improve the security of your site.
However, the features of this plugin are even more than security. Sucuri Firewall comes with different built-in functions such as gzip compression. You can cache your website just in a single click.
Sucuri Firewall is the best option because it is a DNS level firewall. Why this is the best option? Because Sucuri is capable to respond to different requests even before reaching your website. Amazing! This plugin gives significantly boost your WordPress site.
So being a DNS level firewall makes it the best WordPress caching plugins.
5. Built-in Cache Plugins from Hosting
All hosting servers provide a caching facility. They do so because it reduces the load on hosting servers. Moreover, it boosts their performance as well. Due to this, almost all WordPress hosting servers provide built-in cache plugins.
There are countless hosting companies all around the world. It is difficult to cover all the built-in plugins offered by hosting companies. Here are the three most common hosting sites and their built-in plugins you can utilize:
· SG SuperCacher: You can avail of their built-in caching solution in all hosting plans. You can easily enable it from the cPanel dashboard after logging into your hosting account. After enabling, you can install the SG Optimizer plugin and activate it.
· WP Engine Caching: This company also provide caching solution in all their plans. You can control everything using the WordPress admin dashboard. If you want to clear the cache, you can do it. You can find a cache setting under the General Setting by pressing the WP Engine menu. For advanced features, you need to install and activate WP Engine Advanced Cache.
· Bluehost Caching: It is another giant hosting company in the world. This company also provides you with caching plugins in all their plans. All you need to enable it from your hosting dashboard.
Almost all hosting companies provide caching plugins to boost their performance. Performance is the need of both you and hosting companies as well. If hosting servers are slow, who will use their hosting services?
Final words
Caching is the most important concept to speed up your WordPress site. There are many best WordPress caching plugins available such as WP Rocket and W3 Total Cache. You must avail of these caching plugins to enhance the loading speed and user experience!
