A fast site keeps visitors, ranks better on Google and sells more. This guide covers the changes that make the biggest difference to WordPress speed on Host Dada: the built-in CDN cache, page optimisation, an up-to-date PHP version, lighter images and fewer plugins.
Before you start
- Measure first so you can see what helped. Test your home page and one busy page with PageSpeed Insights and note the scores.
- Take a snapshot under Timeline Backups before changing optimisation settings or removing plugins.
- If you're on WP Growth or above, try bigger changes on a staging copy first.
1. Let the CDN cache do the heavy lifting
Every Host Dada WordPress plan includes a CDN (content delivery network) that stores copies of your images, scripts, styles and pages on servers close to your visitors. It's switched on by default.
- Open Edge Caching. In the Host Dada Control Panel, click Manage next to your package, then Edge Caching in the CDN section.
- Check the settings. Global Edge Caching (images, JavaScript and CSS) and Dynamic Cache (whole pages) should both show Activated. Pages that set a cookie, such as a logged-in dashboard or a WooCommerce basket, aren't cached, so shops and members' areas keep working normally.
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Purge after changes. When you update your design or content and visitors still see the old version, click Purge Everything.
Purge Everything makes the CDN fetch fresh copies of your site.
- Use Development Mode while building. Switching on Development Mode turns caching off for three hours, then it switches itself back on. It's handy during a redesign; don't leave your live site in it for long.
2. Turn on Web Optimisation (carefully)
Under CDN → Web Optimisation, you can switch on filters that compress and tidy your pages as they're delivered. Each one is labelled Low Risk, Medium Risk or High Risk.
- Start with One Click Optimisation (low risk) or Try the Wizard, which turns on recommended settings.
- Check your site afterwards, especially menus, sliders, forms and checkout. If anything breaks, turn the most recent filter off again.
- Avoid enabling the same feature twice: if your theme or a plugin already minifies CSS and JavaScript, don't also do it here.
3. Use a current PHP version
PHP is the language WordPress runs on, and newer versions are noticeably faster. Under Web Tools → Change PHP Version, choose the newest version your theme and plugins support, such as PHP 8.3. Test the site straight afterwards and switch back if anything breaks. See Change your PHP version and settings.
4. Shrink your images
Oversized photos are the most common cause of slow WordPress pages.
- Resize photos before uploading. A full-width image rarely needs to be wider than 2,000 pixels; most in-page images need far less.
- Use modern formats. WordPress supports WebP and AVIF uploads, which are often half the size of a JPEG at the same quality.
- Compress existing images with a reputable image optimisation plugin, and keep "lazy loading" on so images below the fold load only when needed.
- Put videos on a video hosting service and embed them, rather than uploading large video files to WordPress.
5. Cut down on plugins
- Go to Plugins in your WordPress dashboard and deactivate and delete anything you don't actively use.
- Watch out for heavy all-in-one plugins, sliders, social feeds and visitor statistics plugins that load scripts on every page.
- Page builders add weight. If you use one, use its built-in performance settings and avoid adding a second builder or add-on pack you don't need.
- Keep everything updated. Updates often include performance fixes.
6. Tidy the database
Over time WordPress stores thousands of post revisions, spam comments and expired temporary data. Empty the spam and trash in Comments, and consider a well-reviewed database clean-up plugin to remove old revisions. Take a snapshot first.
Troubleshooting
My changes don't show up on the live site
Click Purge Everything under Edge Caching, clear any caching plugin, then reload with Ctrl+F5 (Cmd+Shift+R on a Mac).
The site broke after turning on Web Optimisation
Go back to Web Optimisation and switch off the filters you most recently enabled, starting with any marked Medium or High Risk. Purge the cache and test again.
The WordPress dashboard is slow but the public site is fast
The dashboard is never cached, so it shows the true speed of your plugins. Deactivate plugins one at a time to find a slow one, and check under Tools → Site Health for warnings.
PageSpeed Insights still shows a low score
Look at the specific suggestions it gives. Large images, render-blocking scripts from third-party tools (chat widgets, tracking, embedded maps) and heavy themes are the usual culprits.
Last reviewed: October 2026
