JCH Optimize Pro: Performance Tools and Setup

Manage WordPress asset delivery and page caching

JCH Optimize Pro is the paid edition of JCH Optimize. It offers optimizations for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and caching intended to reduce browser downloads and the requests needed to render a page. These changes can support work on First Contentful Paint, Largest Contentful Paint, Speed Index, Cumulative Layout Shift, Time to Interactive, and Total Blocking Time. Automatic settings apply recommended strategies, while Pro settings give more control when a website needs specific adjustments.

How the optimization settings work

The plugin can minify HTML, CSS, and JavaScript by removing unnecessary whitespace and other characters. It can combine CSS and JavaScript files and manage the resulting combined files. Critical CSS and JavaScript can be placed inline, and non-critical resources can be deferred to reduce render-blocking activity.

• Lazy-load offscreen and hidden images.
• Add width and height attributes to images to help reduce layout shifts.
• Enable text compression with server instructions placed in the website's .htaccess file.
• Preload critical resources identified for individual pages.
• Use page caching to reduce initial server response time and improve time to first byte.

Additional controls in Pro

Pro options include HTTP/2 support, unused CSS removal, lazy-loading for iframes, image optimization, and using multiple domains with a CDN. The edition also provides access to the Optimize Image API. Other utilities include a Sprite Generator, image attributes, CSS delivery optimization, and CDN or cookieless domain settings. Exclusions let you leave out files or plugins that conflict with combination settings.

A subscription includes premium technical support through a ticket system, help configuring the extension to resolve conflicts and improve performance, and access to downloads of new versions.

Configure and check the results

1. Install and activate JCH Optimize Pro.
2. Temporarily deactivate existing page caching features and add-ons.
3. Start with Automatic Settings, from Minimum through Optimum, to configure CSS and JavaScript combining and related groups.
4. Test the site, then add optimization functions one at a time according to its needs.
5. Use exclusions for files or plugins that conflict with combination settings.
6. Flush all caches before re-enabling other caching features and plugins.

To check whether combining is active, view the page source in a browser. Look for an aggregated CSS and JavaScript file URL in place of the original file links. These settings are useful for websites where large stylesheets, scripts, images, or many page elements affect loading behavior, though the outcome depends on the site's configuration.