There are some plugins that are useful for a handful of websites and those that every WordPress site needs. The latter belongs to a distinct category: caching and performance optimization.
Website performance plays a pivotal role in user experience and, in particular, raises or influences conversion rates and Google rankings. Every website owner wants their website to load as fast as possible. This is why they install caching plugins. In addition, beginners typically need to know the 6 essential features of a Web Hosting Service.
WP Rocket is one of the most well-known and, indeed, one of the finest caching plugins. Although primarily a caching plugin, it is packed with plenty of useful performance optimization features that make it worth consideration.
The first thing people tend to notice about WP Rocket is that it is a paid tool, unlike other WP caching plugins. However, it is not that expensive. When you factor in the amount of money, it will save you in the long run. Instead, it can make you more money. Getting your site in a better position attracts more prospects and leads to your products/services.
Let’s find out why WP Rocket is such a helpful tool.
WP Rocket Features
Cache Options
WP Rocket also performs browser caching in addition to the usual caching. This method maintains your site’s static resources on the client side (i.e., the web browser belonging to your users), providing a competitive edge with an increase in speed.
Furthermore, you can control (include/exclude) caching for each web page with its dashboard. Similarly, you can remove a specific piece of content from the cache.
The plugin also helps ban certain users or browsers from accessing the cache. With WP Rocket, you can track your site and update the cache whenever you publish a new blog post or edit a web page. Besides, there is also an option to configure a limit to the cache lifespan to determine how long a page has to be cached before the cache gets deleted.
Cache Preloading
Usually, free caching plugins only start building cache once a visitor comes to the page, slowing down the website’s loading time. WP Rocket resolves this hold-up by relying on cache preloading. This means that it builds the cache and updates it to ensure that each page is loaded quickly.
Code Minification and Concatenation
Your website’s source code can be the culprit behind its poor performance. WP Rocket counters this issue by optimizing the CSS, PHP, and JavaScript source code.
Minification deletes unneeded characters, such as code comments and spaces. Concatenation merges CSS and JavaScript files. Thus, both of these processes benefit your site’s speed.
Mobile Caching
WP Rocket allows phone caching. This cache can be created separately for mobile devices. Since most users are expected to use a phone, this can be a valuable feature.
Image Optimization
Larger image files contribute to slow loading speeds. WP Rocket addresses this dilemma with lazy loading. This way, below-the-fold images will not be loaded unless the user scrolls down.
Database Optimization
Your database collects a wide range of trash/spam comments, removed blog posts, and discarded drafts over time, which causes the site to experience a drop in speed.
WP Rocket revitalizes your site by ensuring that your database removes all the junk quickly. Furthermore, you can schedule automatic monthly, weekly, and daily cleanups to keep your site fast.
E-Commerce Compatibility
If you manage an online store, WP Rocket is a must-have plugin. It works well with most e-commerce plugins and ensures that your e-commerce functionalities run smoothly.
Support
Installation and configuration with WP Rocket is a piece of cake. Even those who aren’t tech-savvy can get started easily. More importantly, WP Rocket is supported by an experienced and responsive support team.
What’s more exciting is that you can contact them using your WP dashboard—there’s no need to visit the WP Rocket site. Other contact options include email and a ticketing system.
What Makes WP Worth the Price?
WP Rocket is reliable. It actually fulfills what it promised, which makes it better than most of the plugins. We have found it to increase website loading times – an observation shared by several other website owners.
At most, it has increased site speed by over 50%. It may not seem much at first, but SEO guys know how effective this change could be. With every website trying a plethora of speed optimization tools and techniques, this is a terrific chance to use a dependable plugin.
Features such as database optimization, image optimization, and LazyLoad have mainly produced excellent outcomes in keeping websites lighter and faster.
We also liked the documentation compiled by WP Rocket. Click here to check it. As you can see, it has been made with convenience in mind, allowing anyone to get started and solve standard issues without external help.
One aspect where WP Rocket stands out is its support. Usually, developers release a plugin and forget it after some time. Since WP Rocket is a paid plugin, it receives constant updates at least two times every month.
This way, potential bugs are eliminated efficiently, and performance is enhanced significantly. This is also why it is always compatible with WordPress versions and updates.
Final Thoughts
With COVID-19, competition among businesses has increased in the digital space. Everyone is going online and trying their best to provide the best possible site experience. With WP Rocket, you can capitalize on this opportunity and offer a high-quality user experience. Although WP Rocket comes with a price tag, we recommend it because results show it is worth it.
