What's your Wordpress Optimization Setup?

Advertise on BHW
WP Rocket can be used for general optimization of any type of WordPress website, it is user-friendly and often provides significant performance improvements.
Smush (or Imagify) is for websites that require image optimization, significantly reducing load times without reducing image quality.
Rank Math is SEO-focused, lightweight and integrates seamlessly with many caching and optimization plugins.
...
Choosing a plugin often depends on the specific needs of your website and the level of optimization you are looking for. WP Rocket is a great all-in-one solution
 
Hivartei said:
Hey everyone,

I've tried tons of things to optimize my website, but either the optimization didn't go so well on Pagespeed, or images started not showing or the website broke. In the end I ended up hiring someone to optimize.

Kind of frustrating since I always thought Wp-Rocket would be the best, one plugin we can't miss, but it turns out everyone I hired used different ones. Some used Seraphinite Accelerator and some Web10, which I didn't like because it depends on you having an external account at their website. Some conflict with Rank Math and some will simply do nothing.

So my question is: which plugins do you use, and for what kind of websites?

Bonus points if you mention the specific configurations you use.

Best,

Hivartei
Click to expand...
Great question, Hivartei. WordPress optimization can definitely feel like a balancing act between speed and stability.


Here’s the setup I typically use across most client sites for a clean, stable optimization without conflicts:


1. Caching & Performance:
– LiteSpeed Cache (when using LiteSpeed servers) or WP Rocket (on standard hosting).
– I avoid stacking multiple optimization plugins, one well-configured plugin usually performs better than three competing ones.


2. Image Optimization:
– Imagify or ShortPixel for lossless compression and WebP conversion.
– Enable lazy loading and serve scaled images.


3. Database & Code Optimization:
– Clean up post revisions, transients, and unused tables using WP-Optimize.
– Minify CSS/JS within the caching plugin itself (not via multiple plugins).


4. CDN & Hosting:
– Use Cloudflare CDN for global caching and security.
– Choose a reliable host (LiteSpeed or NGINX-based); optimization starts with good infrastructure.


5. Configuration Tips:
– Test one setting at a time and recheck Pagespeed/GTmetrix after each change.
– Avoid “combine CSS/JS” on modern sites (it can break layouts).
– Exclude Rank Math and other SEO plugin scripts from deferral if issues arise.


This setup typically delivers 90+ on both mobile and desktop for well-built sites without breaking layouts or plugin functionality.


If you’d like, I can share a sample configuration file for WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache that’s been tested on multiple client sites.
 
this is not about speed of one site, more general.
if you have a vps with root access and 10+ wp sites on it and free version of wordfence on every one of them, without database hacks you are wasting your resources.
i managed to drop my cpu usage 2-3 times original value.
it made small change to loading speed of a site, but huge impact on almost everything else: no cpu spikes (so no downtimes), i can pack much more sites on one server, loading speed of all sites is constant all the time
 
I'm not surprised to not see WPMU's suite of tools here (hummingbird, smush etc)

Have used them all for several years (i'm still an agency partner) and they either break sites or don't work well. Maybe time for a WP Rocket lifetime sub this black friday...
 
Hivartei said:
Hey everyone,

I've tried tons of things to optimize my website, but either the optimization didn't go so well on Pagespeed, or images started not showing or the website broke. In the end I ended up hiring someone to optimize.

Kind of frustrating since I always thought Wp-Rocket would be the best, one plugin we can't miss, but it turns out everyone I hired used different ones. Some used Seraphinite Accelerator and some Web10, which I didn't like because it depends on you having an external account at their website. Some conflict with Rank Math and some will simply do nothing.

So my question is: which plugins do you use, and for what kind of websites?

Bonus points if you mention the specific configurations you use.

Best,

Hivartei
Click to expand...
If you are still in the market for change. You will be able to control quite a bit with if you are on an EC2 server. Amazon Q can do a lot for you. If you prefer to learn yourself. Digital Ocean has great step by step tutorials for what you are looking to do.

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-create-and-serve-webp-images-to-speed-up-your-website
 
A stable setup usually comes from keeping things simple and avoiding overlapping features. For most sites, a lightweight theme, fast hosting, and one well-configured caching plugin deliver better results than stacking multiple tools.

A common setup that stays consistent is a clean theme, server-level caching if available, one optimization plugin handling minify and lazy load, and a dedicated image optimizer. Test changes in stages to avoid conflicts and rely on server features before plugins when possible.
 
I usually pair LiteSpeed Cache with a CDN. It’s stable, avoids conflicts, and handles most optimizations well. Default settings plus image compression and critical CSS work reliably for me.
 
Linkora said:
I usually pair LiteSpeed Cache with a CDN. It’s stable, avoids conflicts, and handles most optimizations well. Default settings plus image compression and critical CSS work reliably for me.
Click to expand...
Litespeed cache is only reliable for blogs. Not e-commerce.
 
Thank you all for the answers. So I was able to get a decent grade at pagespeed.

The problem is not "getting a dedicated server", that's easy to get even with my lightsail instance of US$ 24 per month, more than enough horsepower.

The bloat is in the frontend rendering, especially for mobile. Due to some plugin conflicts, things got a bit complicated.

My setup involves elementor pro, rankmath pro, wp-rocket pro, perfmatters pro, ewww images, wordfence, fluent crm, linkwhisper, amp for wp and a few others. To be honest, I am kind of surprised I still have some problems with that, I mean I have 23 plugins, it shouldn't be much of a problem, but I guess it's more of a configuration issue than anything else.

trebhin said:
We used @G 's Speed Optimisation Service to enhance our WordPress site and have been extremely impressed with his professionalism, responsiveness and the optimisation results achieved.
Click to expand...

I will look into it thanks for the recommendation.

MizanurRahman443 said:
Great question, Hivartei. WordPress optimization can definitely feel like a balancing act between speed and stability.


Here’s the setup I typically use across most client sites for a clean, stable optimization without conflicts:


1. Caching & Performance:
– LiteSpeed Cache (when using LiteSpeed servers) or WP Rocket (on standard hosting).
– I avoid stacking multiple optimization plugins, one well-configured plugin usually performs better than three competing ones.


2. Image Optimization:
– Imagify or ShortPixel for lossless compression and WebP conversion.
– Enable lazy loading and serve scaled images.


3. Database & Code Optimization:
– Clean up post revisions, transients, and unused tables using WP-Optimize.
– Minify CSS/JS within the caching plugin itself (not via multiple plugins).


4. CDN & Hosting:
– Use Cloudflare CDN for global caching and security.
– Choose a reliable host (LiteSpeed or NGINX-based); optimization starts with good infrastructure.


5. Configuration Tips:
– Test one setting at a time and recheck Pagespeed/GTmetrix after each change.
– Avoid “combine CSS/JS” on modern sites (it can break layouts).
– Exclude Rank Math and other SEO plugin scripts from deferral if issues arise.


This setup typically delivers 90+ on both mobile and desktop for well-built sites without breaking layouts or plugin functionality.


If you’d like, I can share a sample configuration file for WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache that’s been tested on multiple client sites.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, I'd be happy to receive this file if you can send.
 
stick to a lightweight theme plus a simple cache/optimization plugin and tune only what’s needed so nothing breaks.
 
Hivartei said:
Hey everyone,

I've tried tons of things to optimize my website, but either the optimization didn't go so well on Pagespeed, or images started not showing or the website broke. In the end I ended up hiring someone to optimize.

Kind of frustrating since I always thought Wp-Rocket would be the best, one plugin we can't miss, but it turns out everyone I hired used different ones. Some used Seraphinite Accelerator and some Web10, which I didn't like because it depends on you having an external account at their website. Some conflict with Rank Math and some will simply do nothing.

So my question is: which plugins do you use, and for what kind of websites?

Bonus points if you mention the specific configurations you use.

Best,

Hivartei
Click to expand...
My WordPress optimization setup includes fast hosting, a lightweight theme, proper caching, image compression, database cleanup, and essential SEO tweaks. I focus on improving speed, security, and overall performance so the site loads quickly and ranks better.
 
The best optimization setup minimizes plugins and relies heavily on a solid foundation: quality hosting (LiteSpeed or Nginx) and a robust CDN.
For high-traffic or affiliate sites, my preferred stack is:
  1. WP Rocket for Page Caching, GZIP compression, and Minification (CSS/JS). I disable file combination to prevent breaking.
  2. Perfmatters for Script Manager functionality—this is crucial for controlling bloat by disabling unnecessary scripts (like Elementor or form plugins) from loading on pages that don't need them.
  3. Imagify (or similar) for WebP conversion and lossless image optimization.
This trio is lightweight and rarely conflicts with major SEO plugins like Rank Math, as they serve entirely different optimization functions.
 
ProVision SEO said:
stick to a lightweight theme plus a simple cache/optimization plugin and tune only what’s needed so nothing breaks.
Click to expand...
This makes sense, but it would be very limited in scope on landing pages that require heavy customization. My recommendation is not to use ThemeForest themes. Instead, I’d suggest building on proven, lightweight, and well-tested core frameworks like Astro, and then applying standard WordPress performance optimization practices on top of that.
 
I use a lightweight theme with caching, image optimization, and minified CSS/JS for speed.
Strong hosting, a CDN, SEO plugins, and regular database cleanup keep the site fast and stable.
 
You can use lite speed cache for the speed and also the site speed depends on multiple factors
1 Your theme
2 Type of content you are publishing
3 Your hosting
4 your designe
5 plugins you using for different tasks

Most of the speed optimization technique can be done without installing any plugin just by simple configuration with your theme and function.php file

for example lazyload you can set it by modifying your function.php ( if you are not into development ) there is not a big deal you understand Ai and you also understand your problem just ask GPT to help you

also Media if you use large amount of images you can set a function to auto convert you images into webp formate

rest of the options depends on your UX and your theme
 
I keep it simple and performance-focused.
Lightweight theme, clean permalink structure, proper internal linking, caching + image optimization, minimal plugins, and basic security.
The goal is fast load time, easy crawling, and no unnecessary bloat.
 
Advertise on BHW
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sign up now!

Main Menu

Home Main Forum List Black Hat SEO White Hat SEO BHW Newbie Guide Blogging Black Hat Tools Social Media Downloads

Marketplace

Account Selling Content / Copywriting EBooks / Methods Hosting Misc Proxies For Sale SEO - Link building SEO - Packages Social Media Social Media - Panels Web Design More

Making Money

Affiliate Programs Hire a Freelancer IM Journeys Making Money Pay Per Click Site Flipping Want to Buy

BlackHat World

Dispute Resolution Forum Suggestions & Feedback Introductions Lounge
Back
Top