It's important to optimize WordPress sites for speed, security, and reliability.

1. WordPress Optimization
Brian LaFrance
Marketing Director – AuthorityLabs
brian.lafrance@authoritylabs.com
Twitter - @blafrance

2. Start Right
• Stock WordPress installs won’t cut it
• Self vs. Managed Hosting
• Apache vs. NGINX
• Use WP_DEBUG

3. Keep it Clean
• Delete plugins you are not using
• Delete themes you are not using
• Plugin for cleanup and preferred settings

4. Choosing a Theme
• Avoid bloated themes that do everything
• Frameworks vs. Themes
• Genesis - Framework
• Bones – Theme
• _s (Underscores) - Theme

5. Mobile Considerations
• Responsive design – mobile first
• Don’t go overboard – Logical breakpoints
• Prioritize for better user experience
• Minimize resources sent to devices

6. Speed it Up
• Caching Plugins – W3 Total Cache
• Smaller images and sprites
• CDN or S3
• Icon fonts

7. Managing Javascripts
• Plugin developers are lazy
• Use Google Hosted Libraries
• Use wp_enqueue_script()
• Monitor for errors
• Combine when possible (Segment.io)

8. Plugins
• More plugins = less security
• Choose wisely
• Plugins vs. Theme Functionality
• Not always one size fits all
• Plugins + many users = Slow site

9. Social Integration
• Don’t need a plugin
• Consider mobile devices
• Use shortcodes to add inline
• WP Facebook Open Graph protocol plugin

10. Updates & Security
• Keep everything updated regularly
• Multiple installs? Centralize tracking
• Use Sucuri
• Back everything up daily

11. Migrating Non WP Sites
• Plan your URL structure for redirects
• Scrape & create import files if needed
• Test , fix, test, fix
• site: search
• Screaming Frog
• Make sure all page types look good

12. Launching New/Migrated Sites
• Check rendering in all browsers
• Check titles & descriptions
• Double check ALL important redirects
• Don’t rely on WP for www vs. non-www
• Test all forms

13. Random Tips
• Site searches = content ideas
• Don’t be afraid of custom post types
• Use multisite & domain mapping
• Learn to use hooks
• Never, ever edit core files. Don’t do it.

14. WordPress Optimization
Brian LaFrance
Marketing Director – AuthorityLabs
brian.lafrance@authoritylabs.com
Twitter - @blafrance