Slow Response Time

I’m no expert on this, but I think in a nutshell it means your site is slow. Usually the easiest way to speed up a site is with a caching plugin, if you are not already using one. I like LiteSpeed Cache if your site is on a LiteSpeed server, otherwise Comet Cache. But those are just my preferences, other caching plugins have their fans too. An alternative to a caching plugin is CloudFlare’s free CDN service.

There are a number of websites to measure your site speed, including the very popular Pingdom (tools.pingdom.com). In your case it looks like the biggest problem might be time-to-first-byte (although, again I am not an expert). This usually means your server, that is your web host, is the problem. So, you may want to consider moving to a faster web host when the opportunity arises.

Thank you. Makes sense to me. I do have a caching plugin, WP Super Cache, but not sure I’m using it correctly.

I’ve wondered if my problem could be my web host–I’m on a shared server with Blue Host. I’ll look into that further.

Thanks for your help.

Use wp fastest cache and check all the settings boxes, on free version. It’s simple and the best speed on tests.

@portalultautv: Will do! Thank you!

Done!

Now, thinking about my web host. I use a shared server through Blue Host. I’m considering upgrading to a dedicated server. Would that help with site speed?

Probably, but it’s gonna be more expensive. If you are making $ from your site it may be worth it. I would first consider moving to a shared account at a faster host. Michael at https://researchasahobby.com/tag/hosting-performance-contest/ does a good job, I think, of checking speed and uptime. SiteGround, GeekStorage, and MDDHosting are consistently near the top.

Interesting articles on Researchasahobby website.

Everybody has a favorite hosting. Went to a WordCamp recently and everyone there had a favorite.

What specs should I compare between my current host and a possible future hosting company?

“Everybody has a favorite hosting” – yep. And in online reviews, favorite is often based on affiliate kickbacks. Really hard to know who to trust. I like that Researchasahobby uses real metrics. Michael does admit to accepting affiliate fees though, and only tracks a relative handful of the many available hosts. Still, it is the best information that I know of, and I think a great place to start. Webhostingtalk.com is also worth a look – it is opinion-based but mostly knowledgable honest opions. I would personally stay away from any host associated with EIG (see https://researchasahobby.com/full-list-eig-hosting-companies-brands/).

Thanks. Very helpful.