So, you’re wondering, “What are the best WP Rocket settings for my site?”, “How do I get the best results after activating WP Rocket?”, “Are there any standard settings that work for any site?”. Well, in this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to set up the optimal WP Rocket settings for your site.
The truth is, the settings will actually vary from site to site, but, we have the recommended standard settings that work for any site.
I’m going to guess that you’re currently trying to speed up your WordPress site, if so, check out our 10min-read post on how to have a super-fast WP site (at least 90/100 green score).
Important: Before we start, and to check if your site is faster after applying these settings, use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to test your site’s load times, and take a screenshot, for both mobile and desktop versions, before you begin configuration.
If you want to skip the read, here are the standard WP Rocket Settings in a nutshell.
| Setting | Enable/Disable |
|---|---|
| Cache | – Enable caching for mobile devices (to apply all optimizations for mobile users as well). – Disable User Cache. |
| File Optimization | – Enable Minify CSS and JavaScript files. – Disable Combining CSS and JavaScript files (enabling it can boost your score but conflicts may occur). – Disable Optimize CSS delivery. – Enable Load JavaScript Deferred. – Disable Delay JavaScript execution. |
| Media | – Enable LazyLoad for Images, Iframes, and Videos. – Enable Replace YouTube iframe with preview image. – Disable Emoji. – Disable WordPress Embeds. |
| Preload | – Enable Activate Preloading. – Enable Activate sitemap-based cache preloading. |
Note: You don’t have to worry about turning every WP Rocket setting ON because activating more options doesn’t always result in more page speed.
Should I clear the cache after every option I activate for WP Rocket? No, there’s no need to clear the cache, just activate the setting, save the changes, and let WP Rocket take care of the rest (the cache will be automatically cleared).
What is WP Rocket
WP Rocket is a premium plugin designed for WordPress (one of the best), not only speeds up your page loading time, but it also impressively improves your overall website performance and Core Web Vitals. The plugin is constantly updated to keep up with the latest web performance requirements and recommendations.
There is a 10% discount for WP Rocket you can benefit from if not already purchased your license. WP Rocket, most of the time automatically applies coupon codes and discounts at checkout, but for the 10% discount, you will have to enter the coupon manually at checkout.
How to Set up WP Rocket Correctly?
Assuming you have downloaded your zip file plugin, in your WordPress dashboard, head over to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. Simply upload and activate the zip file version of WP Rocket.
As soon as you activate it, the default cache settings are automatically applied, they are already good enough to speed up any site. However, there are several settings we can change for maximum performance.
Tip: Activate options one at a time, not everything at once. After each option that you activate, check your site in an incognito tab, to see if any particular option causes an issue. If something doesn’t look right, just disable the last option you activated and everything will be back to normal.
#1. Cache
Caching for mobile devices should be enabled as it enables caching for mobile users as well and makes your website mobile-friendlier.
User Cache should be disabled on normal WordPress sites and blogs. However, you can enable it if you have multiple users logging into your website.
#2. File Optimization
Minify CSS and JavaScript files should be enabled, it removes whitespace from the code files (faster process, smaller file size).
Combining CSS and JavaScript files should be disabled as it can cause issues when using HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 servers.
Optimize CSS delivery should be disabled as it can cause layout shifts and FOUC (flash of unstyled content).
Load JavaScript Deferred should be activated (eliminates render-blocking JS on your site and can improve load time).
Delay JavaScript execution should be disabled (it can delay Java from loading until the user scrolls down to it).
#3. Media
LazyLoad for Images, Iframes, and Videos should be enabled (the images/videos will only be loaded when they enter the viewport, which makes the page load faster).
Replace YouTube iframe with preview image should be enabled, it can improve your loading time if you have a lot of YouTube videos on your site.
Emoji should be disabled. This reduces the number of HTTP requests which can improve load times.
WordPress Embeds should be enabled, as it prevents other sites from embedding your content on their site which consumes your bandwidth and server.
#4. Preload
Preloading should be enabled. This option tells browsers to start fetching resources that will be needed soon.
Sitemap-based cache preloading should be enabled as well. This setting uses all the URLs in your XML sitemap for preloading.
How to have a Very Fast WordPress Website (100/100 score)
In addition to WP Rocket, in this guide, we are gonna share with you 4 other things to have an ultra-fast WP website.
