Should You Use Cache on Your WordPress Websites?

The loading speed of a website is a great user experience concern and one of the Google ranking factors. Visitors expect webpages to load instantaneously, and anything slower can lead to frustration and lost traffic.

For WordPress websites, which are known for their dynamic nature, achieving optimal speed can be a challenge. So, people use caching plugins to improve and optimise the loading speed.

But did you know there are also cons to using caching plugins? Maybe not. Let’s find out whether you should use cache on your WordPress site.

What is Caching, and How Does It Benefit Your WordPress Site?

Caching essentially creates a temporary storage space for website data. When a visitor accesses your WordPress site for the first time, the server retrieves information from the database, combines it with themes and plugins, and generates the webpage you see. This process, while dynamic and allowing for fresh content, can be resource-intensive for the server, especially with high traffic.

Caching creates a static copy of the webpage after the initial generation. Subsequent visitors requesting the same page are then served the pre-rendered version from the cache, significantly reducing server load and speeding up page load times. Here’s a breakdown of the benefits caching offers for your WordPress website:

Improved User Experience: Faster loading times lead to a more enjoyable experience for visitors. Studies show that a one-second delay in page load can result in a 7% drop in conversions. Caching ensures your site feels responsive and keeps visitors engaged.

Enhanced SEO: Search engines like Google prioritise fast-loading websites in their rankings. By improving website speed, caching can indirectly boost your SEO and attract more organic traffic.

Reduced Server Load: Caching minimizes the number of database queries and server processes required to display a webpage. This translates to a lighter workload for your server, improving overall stability and performance.

Increased Scalability: As your website grows and attracts more traffic, caching can help your server handle the additional load more efficiently. This allows your site to scale effectively without compromising speed.

Different Types of Caching for WordPress

There are various types of caching applicable to WordPress websites, each serving a specific purpose:

Page Caching: This is the most common type of caching and stores a complete copy of the entire rendered webpage. When a visitor requests a page, the cached version is delivered, significantly reducing load times.

Object Caching: Instead of caching entire pages, object caching stores specific elements like database queries, menus, or widgets. This allows for faster page generation as frequently accessed elements are readily available.

Browser Caching: This leverages the visitor’s web browser to store static files like images, CSS, and JavaScript. This eliminates the need to download these files repeatedly, improving subsequent page loads for returning visitors.

Implementing Caching on Your WordPress Site

There are two primary ways to implement caching on your WordPress website:

Server-Level Caching: Many web hosting providers offer built-in caching solutions. These are often easy to activate through your hosting control panel.

Caching Plugins: WordPress offers a vast selection of caching plugins that provide granular control over caching options. Popular choices include WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, and Autoptimize. These plugins offer various features like page caching, object caching, minification (reducing file sizes), and CDN (Content Delivery Network) integration for further performance optimisation.

Problems With Cached Websites

1. Dynamic Content: Caching presents challenges with dynamically generated content on WordPress sites. While caching improves load times by serving saved static versions of pages, dynamic content like user-specific greetings or personalized recommendations might not update correctly for each visitor. This discrepancy can lead to a less personalized user experience and potentially display inaccurate information.

2. E-Commerce Functionality: Websites with e-commerce elements often struggle with caching due to the nature of rapidly changing content. Product prices, availability, and cart contents need to be constantly updated in real time based on user interactions. Caching can inadvertently cache outdated product information, leading to inconsistencies between what users see on the site and what is actually available for purchase.

3. User-Specific Content for Logged-In Users: Another limitation of caching on WordPress sites arises when dealing with logged-in users who have access to personalised content or account information. Caching these user-specific elements may result in one user viewing another’s data or failing to see their individualized settings accurately reflected on the site.

4. Forms and Comments: Websites that rely heavily on interactive elements like forms and comments also face limitations with caching. Forms that require real-time validation or submission processes may not function correctly when served from the cache. Likewise, comments that are added dynamically by users may not appear instantaneously if they are stored in cached versions of pages.

5. Cache Invalidation: One key challenge in using caching effectively is ensuring proper cache invalidation techniques are in place. When new content is published or existing content is updated, the cache needs to be cleared or updated accordingly to ensure visitors view the most recent information. Failure to invalidate caches appropriately can result in users seeing outdated content, potentially leading to confusion or errors on the site.

Conclusion and Alternative Solutions

Site owners must strike a balance between performance optimization through caching and ensuring that dynamic elements function as intended for all visitors, including logged-in users and those interacting with forms and comments.

Implementing techniques such as fragment caching for specific dynamic components, configuring cache-clearing mechanisms upon content updates, and conducting regular testing of cached pages can help mitigate these limitations and maintain a seamless user experience across all aspects of the website’s functionality.