How to Enable GZIP Compression in WordPress (Fast & Easy)

Slow website loading times can negatively impact user experience and search engine optimization. In fact, website loading speed is crucial for both of these factors. But don’t worry, there’s a simple and effective way to significantly improve your website loading times and enhance user experience: GZIP compression.

What is GZIP Compression and How Does it Work?

GZIP compression is a method of compressing files before sending them to the user’s browser. By compressing the content of the web page before sending it to the user’s browser, GZIP compression reduces the size of the web page, resulting in faster loading speeds.

Why is GZIP Compression Important for Website Loading Speed?

As previously mentioned, slow website loading times can negatively impact user engagement and lead to lower search engine rankings. GZIP compression significantly improves website loading times, which enhances user experience and improves search engine optimization.

How to Enable GZIP Compression in WordPress

Enabling GZIP compression in WordPress is a simple process that involves just a few steps:

Step 1: Check If GZIP Compression Is Already Enabled

Before enabling GZIP compression, it’s important to check if it’s already enabled on your website. You can use online tools like GZIP Test to check whether GZIP compression is already enabled on your website.

Step 2: Install and Activate GZIP Compression Plugin

If GZIP compression is not enabled on your website, install and activate a GZIP compression plugin. One popular plugin for GZIP compression is the WP Fastest Cache plugin. You can install and activate the WP Fastest Cache plugin by following these simple steps:

1. Login to your WordPress dashboard
2. Go to Plugins > Add New
3. Search for “WP Fastest Cache”
4. Install and activate the plugin

Step 3: Configure GZIP Compression Settings

After activating the GZIP compression plugin, configure the GZIP compression settings by following these steps:

1. Go to Settings > WP Fastest Cache
2. Click on the “Advanced” tab
3. Under “HTML & XML”, enable “Gzip Compression”
4. Click “Save Changes”

Step 4: Enable Using .htaccess File

<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/plain
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xhtml+xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/rss+xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-javascript
</IfModule>

Copy and Paste the above code to the .htaccess file.

You can access the .htaccess file in your hosting file manager or you can use an FTP client.

Congratulations! You have successfully enabled GZIP compression on your WordPress website.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about GZIP compression:

Enabling GZIP compression in WordPress is a simple and effective way to improve website loading times and enhance user experience. By compressing the content of the web pages, GZIP compression reduces the size of the web pages, resulting in faster loading speeds. Additionally, don’t forget to implement other website optimization techniques such as optimizing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, using a content delivery network (CDN), and enabling browser caching to further enhance your website.