WPSpeed PRO: WordPress caching and performance optimization

WPSpeed PRO includes site-wide page optimization and caching controls to WPSpeed. It addresses page delivery and front-end resources related to loading times and Core Web Vitals such as LCP, CLS, and INP.

What PRO changes

The free edition optimizes the homepage and allows full optimization on one page. PRO can optimize all pages, removes those listed usage limits, unlocks the full picture optimization rules, and enables static HTML caching through .htaccess.

How cached delivery works

With .htaccess caching enabled, WPSpeed can serve cached pages as static HTML without executing WordPress for those responses. This reduces the processing involved and may lower TTFB and server load, including on shared hosting or higher-traffic websites.

Adaptive Contents generates a lightweight version of the website intended to improve PageSpeed scores while preserving functionality. Above-the-Fold CSS extraction can load critical styles first and the remaining CSS asynchronously.

Images and deferred content

PRO unlocks the full set of image optimization rules. WPSpeed can resize and compress images, optimize background images, apply lossless optimization to PNG and JPG documents, and create responsive srcset variants in up to four sizes. It can convert images to WebP and AVIF.

Lazy loading is available for images, iframes, and heavy HTML components so content that is not immediately needed can load later.

Controls for scripts, styles, and resources

• Minify JavaScript, CSS, and HTML, remove whitespace, and combine multiple JavaScript or CSS files into fewer requests.
• Defer, asynchronously load, or preload CSS, JavaScript, and web fonts.
• Remove unused CSS, JavaScript, and fonts, and automatically rewrite asset URLs to a CDN.
• Reduce excessive DOM elements and load heavy blocks asynchronously.
• Apply browser caching and compression rules through .htaccess. On compatible HTTP/2 servers, resource preload and server push are supported.
• Use the exclusions system to manage script and style conflicts.

Automation and navigation

Automatic configuration looks for suitable options for the site, and Google PageSpeed Insights testing is integrated into the extension. Instant Page uses just-in-time preloading to load the next page before a visitor clicks it. The add-on also includes tools aimed at reducing the impact of Elementor and other heavy page-builder scripts.

Setup and review

Install and activate WPSpeed PRO in WordPress, then use automatic configuration and the integrated PageSpeed test to review the available settings. Enable the caching, image, lazy-loading, minification, and resource settings the site needs. After configuration, review the affected pages to confirm that their content and functionality still work as expected.