Do I need to upgrade my Linode server?
Hi all,
I am currently operating a site called www.genowrite.com. I'm happy with how the site looks, but I'm having issues with how long it takes for the site to load. Through the network tab on my browser, I can see that my main page takes ~3-4 seconds to load on my desktop. You can see the breakdown of the loading times through the following link: https://ibb.co/TRJh3DX
From the network tab, I can see that something called admin-ajax.php is contributing over a second of loading time for genowrite.com. After deactivating and reactivating my Wordpress.org plugins, I found out that it's caused by Elementor Pro. The problem's that Elementor Pro generates the header and footer tabs, and I used Elementor to build my site along with the "The7 Dream Theme". I'd love to keep that the same on my site.
Given this situation, would it be best for me to upgrade to a dedicated server? Or are there other things I can do to reduce loading times for my site?
Thank you for your help!
2 Replies
eruzanski
Linode Staff
Dedicated instances grant exclusive resources and full control, while Shared instances involve resource sharing among multiple users with limited control; however, in the context of a simple web server application, this typically results in enhanced reliability rather than substantial performance gains. Consequently, I don't believe migrating to a Dedicated instance would address the loading time issue you're experiencing.
When using the curl command, the site's headers are returned in less than a second (see below). However, as you mentioned, the actual loading time in a browser can take a few seconds. This delay is likely due to the presence of images and other elements that contribute to the load time. Have you considered optimizing your website?
Optimizing your website can involve various strategies, such as addressing large image files. It's important to ensure that your images are properly compressed and optimized for web use. Tools like Smush or Optimole, as well as online optimization services, can automate this process and help improve loading times.
Implementing a caching mechanism is another effective approach. By storing static versions of your web pages, you can reduce the load on your server and enhance loading times, especially for returning visitors. WordPress offers several caching plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache, which can assist in implementing this optimization.
Additionally, it's worth deactivating and removing any plugins that are unnecessary for your website's core functionality. Some plugins can introduce significant overhead and slow down your site's performance.
Before considering the option of a Dedicated server, I recommend implementing these optimization techniques and evaluating their impact on your website's loading time. Monitoring tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Pingdom, or GTmetrix can help you observe any performance gains. If the performance doesn't show significant improvement, then upgrading to a Dedicated server may be a viable solution to further enhance your site's speed.
time curl -sIL http://www.genowrite.com | grep HTTP
HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
X-LiteSpeed-Tag: cc4_HTTP.200,cc4_HTTP.301
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-LiteSpeed-Tag: cc4_HTTP.200
real 0m0.644s
I understand what you mean with compressing the images, but I don't see any images to compress at the footers and headers. Would a single image of my logo really cause that much of a delay?
Could you also tell me any specific plugins I could remove? I can't really remove Elementor since I used it to build my site. Here's the service information with The7 theme which I am using for my site:
### WordPress Environment ###
Home URL: https://genowrite.com
Site URL: https://genowrite.com
WP Version: 6.2.2
WP Multisite: –
Path to uploads folder: /var/www/html/genowrite.com/public_html/wp-content/uploads
WP Memory Limit: 3 GB
FS Accessible: ✔
WP Debug Mode: ❌
Language: en_CA
### Server Environment ###
Server Info: Apache/2.4.38 (Debian)
PHP Version: 7.4.33
PHP Post Max Size: 1,000 MB
PHP Time Limit: 600
PHP Max Input Vars: 3000
SUHOSIN Installed: –
ZipArchive: ✔
MySQL Version: 5.5.5
Max Upload Size: 1,000 MB
GD Library: 2.3.3
cURL: 7.64.0
### The7 Information ###
Current Theme Version: 11.7.0.1
Current DB Version: 11.6.0.1
Installation Path: /var/www/html/genowrite.com/public_html/wp-content/themes/dt-the7
The7 Server Available: ✔
Ajax calls with wp_remote_post: ✔
### Active Plugins (17) ###
Akismet Anti-Spam: by Automattic – 5.1
The7 Elements: by Dream-Theme – 2.7.4
Elementor: by Elementor.com – 3.13.4
Essential Addons for Elementor: by WPDeveloper – 5.7.4
Fast Velocity Minify: by Raul Peixoto – 3.4.0
Site Kit by Google: by Google – 1.102.0
Happy Elementor Addons: by weDevs – 3.8.4
Interactive Geo Maps: by Carlos Moreira – 1.5.11
Jetpack: by Automattic – 12.2
LiteSpeed Cache: by LiteSpeed Technologies – 5.4
PRO Elements: by PROElements.org – 3.13.2
Templately: by Templately – 2.2.0
Timeline Widget For Elementor: by Cool Plugins – 1.4.3
W3 Total Cache: by BoldGrid – 2.3.2
WP Mail SMTP: by WP Mail SMTP – 3.8.0
Smush: by WPMU DEV – 3.12.6
WPForms Lite: by WPForms – 1.8.2.1
```
WordPress Environment
Home URL: https://genowrite.com
Site URL: https://genowrite.com
WP Version: 6.2.2
WP Multisite: –
Path to uploads folder: /var/www/html/genowrite.com/public_html/wp-content/uploads
WP Memory Limit: 3 GB
FS Accessible: ✔
WP Debug Mode: ❌
Language: en_CA
Server Environment
Server Info: Apache/2.4.38 (Debian)
PHP Version: 7.4.33
PHP Post Max Size: 1,000 MB
PHP Time Limit: 600
PHP Max Input Vars: 3000
SUHOSIN Installed: –
ZipArchive: ✔
MySQL Version: 5.5.5
Max Upload Size: 1,000 MB
GD Library: 2.3.3
cURL: 7.64.0
The7 Information
Current Theme Version: 11.7.0.1
Current DB Version: 11.6.0.1
Installation Path: /var/www/html/genowrite.com/public_html/wp-content/themes/dt-the7
The7 Server Available: ✔
Ajax calls with wp_remote_post: ✔
Active Plugins (17)
Akismet Anti-Spam: by Automattic – 5.1
The7 Elements: by Dream-Theme – 2.7.4
Elementor: by Elementor.com – 3.13.4
Essential Addons for Elementor: by WPDeveloper – 5.7.4
Fast Velocity Minify: by Raul Peixoto – 3.4.0
Site Kit by Google: by Google – 1.102.0
Happy Elementor Addons: by weDevs – 3.8.4
Interactive Geo Maps: by Carlos Moreira – 1.5.11
Jetpack: by Automattic – 12.2
LiteSpeed Cache: by LiteSpeed Technologies – 5.4
PRO Elements: by PROElements.org – 3.13.2
Templately: by Templately – 2.2.0
Timeline Widget For Elementor: by Cool Plugins – 1.4.3
W3 Total Cache: by BoldGrid – 2.3.2
WP Mail SMTP: by WP Mail SMTP – 3.8.0
Smush: by WPMU DEV – 3.12.6
WPForms Lite: by WPForms – 1.8.2.1
```