Page speed is a key factor when it comes to website performance. A slow website can lead to a drop in conversions, fewer visitors, and lower search engine rankings. If your website is slow, it’s important to identify and fix the underlying issues as quickly as possible. That’s where GTmetrix comes in. GTmetrix is a powerful tool for analyzing and optimizing website performance, with comprehensive analytics that provide insight into how well your website is performing. In this blog post, we’ll be taking a look at the GTmetrix Page Speed Test – a tool that can provide you with invaluable information about your website’s performance. We’ll discuss why the Page Speed Test is important, the different options available to you, and how to get the most out of your test results. By the end, you’ll have a better understanding of website performance, and be able to take the necessary steps to improve your website’s speed
How to Install the GTmetrix browser extension
Installing the GTmetrix browser extension is a quick and easy process. First, navigate to the GTmetrix homepage and click on the “Install” button in the top right corner. Once you have clicked the install button, you will be prompted to choose your preferred browser. After selecting your browser, another pop-up will appear and you will be asked to confirm the installation. Once the installation is complete, you will be able to see the GTmetrix icon in the top right corner of your browser window. Clicking on this icon will provide you with detailed information about your website’s performance, as well as provide you with recommendations on how to improve it. With the GTmetrix browser extension, you can quickly and easily monitor the performance of your site and make the necessary changes to ensure that it is running smoothly.
How to Generate and then Analyze a GT Metrix page speed report
To use GT Metrix, first you need to visit their website and enter the URL of the page you’d like to test. After you’ve entered the URL and clicked “Analyze”, GT Metrix will generate a report that shows the page speed score, the time it took to load the page, the total size of the page, and a breakdown of the page elements and their size. The report also provides optimization suggestions, such as compressing images, reducing the number of requests, and minifying code. By following the optimization suggestions and running the report again, you can see how your page speed score and times have improved.
GTmetrix has undergone a major overhaul, shifting from the PageSpeed/YSlow libraries to Lighthouse – the go-to tool for web performance. The new GTmetrix Report has been redesigned to include the Lighthouse data and metrics, offering users a more comprehensive performance analysis.
GT Metrix Grade
The GTmetrix Grade evaluates the overall performance of a webpage by combining the speed of loading, interactivity, and visual stability with its structural optimization. This grade provides a comprehensive assessment of a webpage’s user experience, taking into account both the front-end structure and actual performance.
The GTmetrix Grade is a combination of two percent-based scores, the Performance Score (70%) and the Structure Score (30%), determined by a simple formula that gives the Performance Score a 70% weighting and the Structure Score a 30% weighting.
Performance Score
The Performance Score provides an indication of the user experience when accessing a page. This score is determined by these main factors, each weighted accordingly: Loading Performance (45%), First Contentful Paint (10%), Speed Index (10%), Largest Contentful Paint (25%), and Interactivity (40%), Time to Interactive (10%), Total Blocking Time (30%), Visual Stability (15%), and Cumulative Layout Shift (15%).
Google could have further factors taken into account when computing the Performance Score. Whilst the GTmetrix Performance Score and Google’s generated Performance rating are not equivalent, they should tend to be similar.
How to Make changes based on your GT Metrix report
Optimizing page speed based on GT Metrix report can be a daunting task if you’re not familiar with coding and website development.
In general though, you will need to follow these steps to get your site up to speed
Backup Your WordPress Installation
To get started, use a plugin such as UpdraftPlus to create your backup. This plugin allows you to easily backup files, databases and other content to a remote storage location. Once the plugin is installed, go to the settings page and select the files, databases, and other content you want to backup. You can then choose the remote storage destination for your backup, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or FTP. Finally, schedule the backup to run on a regular basis to ensure your data is kept safe.
Remove any Unwanted or Unused Plugins
To begin, log into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the Plugins page. From here, you can view all of the plugins installed on your website. Scroll through to identify any plugins that are no longer necessary or used, then click the ‘Deactivate’ link below each unwanted plugin. After deactivating the plugins, select the ‘Delete’ link to completely remove them from your website. Finally, clear your website’s cache to ensure any changes are applied. Following these simple instructions will help keep your WordPress website secure and running quickly.
Fortunately, there are a number of great tools and plugins available to help you optimize your images. The first step is to make sure you save your images in the right format. Choosing the right file format can drastically reduce your image’s file size, improving your website’s loading speed. Additionally, you should use a compression tool to further reduce file size. For example, you can use a plugin like Smush to compress images during or after upload. Finally, make sure to set the maximum width and height of your images, so they are not unnecessarily large.
Cache Your WordPress Installation
Caching is an important tool for optimizing the performance of a WordPress installation. It can be easily configured using caching plugins such as W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache. First, you should configure the caching plugin to store the generated HTML pages on the server’s hard drive. This will help reduce server load and improve the speed of your WordPress site. Additionally, you can enable browser caching, which stores static files such as JavaScript and CSS within the user’s browser. This will reduce the amount of time needed to download and render the page. Finally, you should also configure a content delivery network (CDN) to serve static content from a separate server, thereby reducing the load on the main server.
Selectively Load Scripts
selectively loading scripts can be an invaluable tool to enhance speed and efficiency. To begin, scripts can be identified in the source code of the page, and then the appropriate file can be loaded. This can be done by using the wp_enqueue_script() function in the functions.php file. Additionally, the wp_register_script() function can be used to register a script if it does not already exist in the WordPress core. Once the script is registered, then it can be selectively loaded into the page with the wp_enqueue_script() function. Lastly, the wp_deregister_script() function can be used to remove a registered script from the page if it is no longer needed.
Perform Server Optimizations
Optimizing a server for speed is a complex process, but one that can pay dividends for businesses. The first step is to analyze the server’s current performance to identify areas of improvement. This may involve examining resource utilization, system load, and server memory usage. After analyzing performance, there are several steps that can be taken to optimize the server for speed. These include setting up caching protocols, increasing available memory, reducing the number of running processes, and compressing data. Additionally, updating the server’s operating system, patching security vulnerabilities, and implementing system monitoring tools can help ensure optimal performance.
Because of the complexity involved in managing your server it is wise to go for a dedicated WordPress hosting provider who manages this for you and ensures that your load times are as optimised as possible from the get-go
Re-Test to See if Changes Had an Impact on Your Page Speed
Testing the impact of changes on page speed is an important step in the website optimization process. Re-testing after changes have been made is the only way to ensure that the desired outcome has been achieved. When re-testing, it’s important to compare the new results to the original test to accurately gauge the impact of the changes. It’s also a good idea to test again after a few days to see if the impact of the changes is still present. To ensure the most accurate results, use a tool that can accurately measure page speed and provide detailed results. With the right tool, re-testing after changes will give you a better understanding of how your website is performing and help you identify areas that need further improvement.
GTmetrix is a powerful tool that allows you to quickly and easily analyze page speed, identify issues, and make changes to improve performance. Installing the GTmetrix browser extension is a great way to quickly generate and analyze page speed reports, and the insights provided by the report can help you make the changes necessary to improve page speed. With GTmetrix, you can easily optimize your website to achieve the best performance possible.
