How can developers speed up WordPress websites with simple tweaks?

Developers can speed up WordPress websites with these simple yet effective tweaks:

1. Use a Lightweight Theme Avoid bloated themes with excessive features. Use GeneratePress, Astra, or Kadence for fast performance.
2. Enable Caching Use LiteSpeed Cache, WP Rocket, or W3 Total Cache to reduce load times. Enable browser caching to store static files on users' devices.
3. Optimize Images (Use WebP Format) Compress images using TinyPNG or ShortPixel. Convert images to WebP for smaller file sizes. Enable lazy loading to load images only when needed.
4. Minify & Combine CSS/JS Minify HTML, CSS, and JavaScript using Autoptimize or Fast Velocity Minify. Defer JavaScript to avoid render-blocking issues.
5. Use a Fast Hosting Provider Choose Cloudways, SiteGround, or Kinsta for better performance. Use NGINX or LiteSpeed servers for improved speed.
6. Enable a Content Delivery Network (CDN) Use Cloudflare, BunnyCDN, or StackPath to serve content from multiple locations worldwide.
7. Reduce Plugin Bloat Deactivate and delete unused plugins. Replace multiple plugins with an all-in-one solution like Jetpack or WP Rocket.
8. Optimize the Database Clean up post revisions, spam comments, and transients using WP-Optimize or Advanced Database Cleaner.
9. Use Async & Defer for JavaScript Prevent render-blocking scripts by adding async or deferring to JavaScript files. Use Asset CleanUp or Perfmatters to unload unnecessary scripts on specific pages.
10. Disable WordPress Heartbeat API The WordPress Heartbeat API can slow down the admin panel. Use Heartbeat Control to reduce its frequency or disable it.

Bonus Tip: Host Google Fonts Locally
Instead of fetching fonts from Google’s servers, host them locally using OMGF or Self-Hosted Google Fonts for faster loading.