Making fewer HTTP requests can improve website performance and speed. Here are some methods to minimize HTTP requests in WordPress:
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): CDN helps distribute website content across multiple servers, reducing the number of requests to the server hosting your website.
Minimize the number of plugins: Each plugin adds more HTTP requests to your site. Uninstall or replace plugins that you don’t need.
Combine and minify CSS and JavaScript files: This reduces the number of HTTP requests required to load your site. Use plugins like WP Minify or Autoptimize to combine and minify your CSS and JavaScript files.
Use CSS Sprites: CSS Sprites combine multiple images into a single image file, reducing the number of HTTP requests required to load all the images.
Optimize images: Compress images and use the correct image format (such as JPEG for photographs and PNG for graphics) to reduce image file sizes. This speeds up image loading and reduces the number of HTTP requests required.
Use lazy loading: Lazy loading is a technique that loads images only when they become visible on the screen, reducing the number of HTTP requests required to load the page.
Reduce the number of external scripts: External scripts like Google Analytics, AdSense, and Facebook Pixel can add a significant number of HTTP requests to your site. Minimize the use of external scripts or use async or defer attributes to load them asynchronously, without blocking the loading of the page.
Use a caching plugin: Caching plugins create a static HTML version of your site and serve it to users, reducing the number of HTTP requests required to load the page. Popular caching plugins include WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache.
How to analyze your website’s unnecessary HTTP requests?
So far, we have already tried to make things easier for you to understand how HTTP requests work and why you need to make fewer requests. Now, it is time for you to identify how many HTTP requests your website is dealing with and how you can analyze it.
