Want to make your WordPress website faster and more durable? Then the WP Rocket plugin is a convenient solution. Because a fast and optimized website generates fewer emissions. Discover in this article how to create a sustainable website with WP Rocket.
Disclaimer: using WP Rocket is a way to make your site greener at a rapid pace. This is especially useful for existing websites. Are you going to create a website from scratch? Then consider a sustainable website from the beginning. Want to know how to do that? Read here how to make your own sustainable website.
Having a fast website is important. It keeps people on your website and makes your site easier to find on search engines like Google or Ecosia. Plus, a fast website is also good for the environment because it produces lower CO2 emissions.
Do you already have a website and want to speed it up and make it more sustainable in a simple way? Then choose this solution: a sustainable website with WP Rocket.
What is WP Rocket?
WP Rocket is a caching plugin for WordPress websites. A caching plugin is a piece of software that makes your website load faster. Simply put, this type of plugin ensures that your visitors actually see a cached, fast version of your website’s page.
There are countless caching plugins available today, but WP Rocket stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of features. For example, this plugin also lets you host Google Fonts locally. That means only the fonts you’ve selected are loaded, rather than the entire library of hundreds of fonts. This isn’t just good for your site’s speed and the environment—it’s also good for your visitors’ privacy!
A cache plugin is one way to make your website faster. Check out other ways to speed up your WordPress website here.
Who developed WP Rocket?
WP Rocket is European software. It was developed in Lyon by IT professionals from the French company WP Media. By choosing WP Rocket, you’re also supporting the French – and therefore European – economy!
How much does WP Rocket cost?
WP Rocket isn’t the cheapest caching plugin, but you definitely get your money’s worth. You can purchase this plugin starting at $59 USD per website per year. Not only do you get updates, but you also receive technical support when needed.
How do you make your website sustainable with WP Rocket?
Once you’ve purchased WP Rocket, you can install it on your site, connect it to your WP Rocket account, and get it up and running. To complete the installation, follow the steps WP Rocket sends you via email. As soon as you activate the plugin, the caching feature is immediately enabled. This means the software is effective right away: your site is already faster. That’s because the server spends less time processing requests, users stay connected to the website for shorter periods, and mobile devices use less power while loading.
Still, with WP Rocket, you can optimize your site even further and make it more sustainable. Below, you’ll see how various features contribute to an even faster and more sustainable website with WP Rocket.
1. WP Rocket: optimizing files
WP Rocket can reduce the size of and optimize files. This includes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. You can find these settings in WP Rocket under Dashboard >, Settings >, WP Rocket >, and File Optimization. Here, you can enable or disable the relevant features.
Optimized website files result in less data traffic and less processing power required by the visitor’s browser. This, in turn, generates fewer CO2 emissions with each page view.
Important: Know what you’re doing, because your website could break. If you are not familiar with this, then I recommend skipping this step or hiring a web designer or developer.
2. Lazy loading for images
Without a cache plugin, every time you visit a page, all images are immediately loaded, even if they are not yet in view. WP Rocket ensures that these are loaded only when they come into view. You can find this feature under dashboard > settings > WP Rocket > Media.
By using lazy loading, only what is truly necessary is loaded, which reduces data usage and saves energy.
You can optimize images even further, for example in the modern webp format. Find out here how you can optimize your images without loss of quality.
3. Host fonts locally
This is a recent update to WP Rocket. Many websites use Google Fonts, a library with over a thousand fonts. These fonts are often loaded when a user visits a website. By hosting fonts locally on your own website, all those other fonts won’t be loaded. This results in faster loading times and lower CO2 emissions.
Hosting fonts locally can also be found under dashboard > settings > WP Rocket > Media. You tick, WP Rocket automatically creates a new folder on your server where the respective Google Font is placed.
By the way, did you know that hosting fonts locally is also privacy-friendly? That way, you can be sure your font is stored on your European server and not somewhere in the U.S., where different privacy standards apply.
4. Removing revisions
The great thing about WordPress is that it saves revisions of pages and blog posts. However, if your site has been around for a few years, you’ll end up with hundreds of revisions in total. Fortunately, you can easily delete them using WP Rocket. To do this, go to the dashboard >, then Settings >, then WP Rocket >, and finally Database. By the way, only do this if you no longer need your revisions!
As soon as you remove hundreds of revisions, the number of KBs per page usually improves significantly. And the lighter your pages and blog posts are, the lower your CO2 emissions. This directly contributes to a sustainable website with WP Rocket.
How do I know if my web pages are sustainable?
By using the features listed above, you can significantly reduce the number of KBs per page. To check this, you can use the Digital Beacon tool. It measures the number of KBs exactly, down to the decimal point. Above all, try to keep your total page weight under 1 MB. Among sustainable web designers, there is a consensus that a sustainable web page weighs less than 1 MB.
Keep in mind that this is a trial-and-error process . You’ll probably spend some time with this. You’re checking and unchecking things and monitoring the KB count in the meantime. Are these going down? Then you’re good to go. If these go up, then you’d best take a different approach by working with a different function.
By the way, did you know that a sustainable website starts with sustainable hosting? Read here all about sustainable hosting.
Conclusion
WP Rocket isn’t just a great tool for making your website faster —it can also reduce your digital carbon footprint. You can use specific features like lazy loading and hosting fonts locally. Be sure to measure your page weight with Digital Beacon as well. Try to keep it under 1 MB. That way, you’ll be taking concrete steps toward a sustainable website with WP Rocket.
Do you need help setting up the WP Rocket plugin? Please feel free to contact me at any time, with no obligation.