How can I increase the loading speed of my website?

The reasons why a site loads slowly can vary, but the most common causes are:

• Insufficient resources on the hosting package:
  • Websites that consume a lot of resources (CPU, RAM, I/O) may experience delays in operation if the hosting package does not have sufficient resources.
  • The allocated resources can be monitored by accessing the Resource Usage section in the hosting control panel.
• Lack of application optimization:
  • Backend: Issues at the database level or the source code can affect performance:
    • Complex or unoptimized queries from the database can cause delays.
    • Unoptimized PHP code or other server-side processes can consume additional time and resources.
  • Frontend: Elements such as CSS, JS, and images can significantly contribute to loading time:
    • Large, unoptimized CSS and JS files or those loaded from multiple external sources can increase processing time.
    • Large, unoptimized images can slow down data transfer to the user.

When accessing a site with a database, the loading process involves several stages:

1. Connecting to and querying the database:
   • The application code runs to access the database and retrieve the necessary information.
   • If the database is not optimized (for example, lack of indexes or very large tables), this process may take longer than necessary.
2. Data processing:
   • The application processes the data obtained from the database through PHP functions or other server-side languages.
   • Poorly written functions or inefficient algorithms can significantly slow down this process.
3. Sending data to the browser:
   • Large files (uncompressed images, unoptimized JS or CSS files) can increase transfer time.
   • The browsers need to process these files, and poorly optimized frontend code can increase rendering time.

Each of these processes can vary in duration depending on the level of optimization, and resource consumption can increase proportionally.

Recommended optimizations:

• Frontend:
  • Use tools like PageSpeed Insights to analyze and identify frontend issues (CSS, JS, image optimization, caching).
  • Compressing images using automated or manual tools.
  • Minification and concatenation of CSS and JS files.
  • Enabling browser caching and using CDNs to serve static content faster.
• Backend:
  • Optimization of SQL queries by using indexes, avoiding complex queries, and utilizing an optimal execution plan.
  • Review and optimization of server-side functions.
  • Implementing a caching system for frequently accessed results (e.g., Memcached or Redis).
• Contact a developer for the analysis and optimization of the backend application, as this part requires advanced technical knowledge.