Solutions for When a Rental Server is Slow
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Table Of Contents
This article summarizes solutions for when your WordPress site on a rental server feels slow.
Understanding the Main Cause of Slow Load Times
The first important step is not to guess why your page is slow but to measure it accurately using tools.
Instead of assuming “it’s probably due to PHP,” start by analyzing your site with tools. This approach allows you to track before-and-after results with measurable data, making it easier to confirm the effectiveness of any improvements.
Using PageSpeed Insights
This tool by Google analyzes your web pages. It performs the same function as the Light House plugin in Google Chrome, requiring only a URL input for an easy check. Use this tool first to identify where your page load time is lagging.
Checking Average Response Time in Google Search Console
In Google Search Console, go to “Settings” → “Crawl Stats” to view the average response time.
Network Tab in the Console
Although it often overlaps with the data in PageSpeed Insights, you can also check the network tab in the console for page load speed information.
Improving the Causes of Slowness
If Images Are Too Large
If the analysis tools reveal that your images are too heavy, compressing and reducing image sizes is an effective solution. Images often take up significant data and can become bottlenecks if not optimized.
For WordPress, I recommend handling this through plugins.
Latest Guide on EWWW Image Optimizer Settings for 2024
If Data Retrieval Takes Too Long
By caching page information, you can eliminate the need for database connections each time the page is accessed, improving load speed.
In WordPress, plugins make it easy to cache pages and refresh the cache whenever you update a blog post.
2024 Guide on How to Use WP Fastest Cache
If the PHP Version Is Outdated
Upgrading your PHP version can boost performance. PHP has improved significantly in terms of performance, especially from PHP 8 onward, so upgrading is a worthwhile option.
Performance Benchmarks for PHP 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3
If Response Speed Remains Slow
Even after caching page data, server response speed can still be an issue, affecting load times. This aspect depends on server-side processing, which is often beyond our control.
When the Rental Server Itself Is Slow
In some cases, the rental server may simply be slow, as I experienced with a certain rental server. If you find that your current server is slow, switching to a different rental server might be the only solution.
Real-World Experience: Switching From Sakura Server
The same rental server notes, “the main load WordPress puts on a server comes from PHP execution.” This means that for WordPress sites, switching to another rental server may offer a better solution if yours is slow.
How to Optimize WordPress on Sakura Server
Why Increasing Page Speed Is Important
A Factor in Search Ranking
Page load speed affects search rankings, as noted in this article:
Using Page Speed as a Mobile Search Ranking Factor
I believe Google mainly lowers rankings for extremely slow sites.
Reducing User Bounce Rate
According to this site:
- Slow loading times increase the likelihood that users will bounce, leading to missed opportunities.
Google reports that as load times increase, so does the bounce rate:
- 1 to 3 seconds = 32% bounce rate increase
- 1 to 5 seconds = 90% bounce rate increase
- 1 to 6 seconds = 106% bounce rate increase
- 1 to 10 seconds = 123% bounce rate increase
A slow site can therefore signal Google that your page does not effectively address the search term, which can negatively impact search rankings.
Ultimately, consider your own experience and assess if your page’s load time feels frustrating.
Two Reliable Rental Servers
Based on my experience, these two rental servers are reliable choices. From there, it’s up to you to improve load times as much as possible.
ConoHa WING
Priced similarly to other rental servers, ConoHa WING is faster. It specializes in speed and includes caching and other features in the control panel.
Here’s the PageSpeed Insights performance of a site I run on ConoHa WING:
I’ve encountered no issues, and page load times feel fast in practice.
XSERVER
This is a well-regarded rental server. If you’re already using it, switching servers may not yield much improvement.
Which One Do I Recommend?
Both are great, but I personally use ConoHa WING because its control panel is user-friendly. It consolidates essential features, whereas other rental servers require logging into various control panels, which can be confusing.
Summary
This was a guide to troubleshooting slow load times on rental servers.
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
