Every second counts when it comes to website load time. If a site takes longer than expected to load, it will cause people to abandon it almost immediately. This, in turn, affects your bounce rate, which can lead to lower search engine rankings.
People expect to access information on the Internet as quickly as possible. Therefore, it is important to align the performance of your website with the expectations of your customers.
In this article we will explain how the CDN can help you increase the loading speed of your WordPress website. We will also provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to set it up.
What is the Cloudflare CDN?
One of the functions of the Cloudflare CDN is to increase the loading speed of a website. It works by keeping multiple copies of your website data from all over the world.
This means that when people want to access your content, the request is sent to servers close to their location to ensure immediate processing.
Cloudflare’s CDN also provides security against potential fraud, ensuring data privacy for your business and customers. In addition, it will hide your nameservers (name servers) in the (WHOIS) tools.
How does Cloudflare help your WordPress blog?
Here are some of the main benefits of using Cloudflare for your WordPress website:
- Fast response time: Cloudflare uses , which is responsible for the efficient transfer of data from one server to another. This feature reduces the waiting time for visitors to your site, improving the overall user experience.
- Site Protection: users can customize settings through the Cloudflare dashboard to block potential online threats. Some security features include a (WAF) and .
- SSL certificate: The SSL certificate () is software that protects website data, ensuring that only authorized computers or browsers can access it.
Cloudflare offers SSL certification to WordPress site owners to protect customer information and transactions. Users can then choose between Cloudflare’s flexible or full SSL encryption, depending on the level of security they need.
- Automatic platform optimization: Cloudflare helps increase the overall performance of your WordPress site with automatic optimization. The process includes resizing images and updating during website updates.
Cloudflare setup in WordPress
Installing Cloudflare on your WordPress site is quick and easy. You can do this manually or through your hosting provider.
For example, automatically integrates Cloudflare into its . This is great for site owners who want the complete package needed to run a secure website, without having to put a lot of dedication or effort into it.
If you prefer to install Cloudflare manually, you can do so by contracting your plan gratuitous.
There are also available for those who want more security and functionality. They are priced from $20/month and include features such as Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule sets, mobile optimization, and alerts. .
Once you’ve chosen a suitable plan, follow these steps to set up Cloudflare on your WordPress website.
1. Create a Cloudflare account
Signing up is easy and only takes a few minutes. You just have to make sure you have the URL of your WordPress site ready.
You now have a Cloudflare account, but you still need to add your website to access the services.
2. Add the domain name in Cloudflare
- Go to your Cloudflare dashboard. Select the button Add Site.
- Add the URL of your WordPress website. Cloudflare allows its users to add as many websites as they want, even for the free version.
- Now select your plan. If it is a blog or a personal website, we recommend that you choose the version free. It comes with all the basic features needed to protect your website from online threats and improve loading speed.
Those who have an online store or a website with high traffic can subscribe to the plans Pro either Business for maximum performance benefits. Cloudflare premium plans include automatic website updates and more security options.
3. Check the DNS records of your domain name
Once your WordPress site is on Cloudflare, you will be asked for the DNS details of the domain name. In this step, you enable or disable Cloudflare for specific subdomains.
To activate it, just change the cloud icon to an orange color.
We strongly suggest you enable Cloudflare for your bare domain name and subdomain www. In this way, Cloudflare will work on both versions www, as in those that do not have www of your site.
Once you’re done, press Continue to proceed to the next step.
Important! It is not recommended to enable Cloudflare for cPanel, mail, FTP or any other subdomain as it can lead to numerous DNS issues
4. Point your domain name to Cloudflare’s nameservers
After you activate Cloudflare for your domain and subdomains, you will see the Cloudflare nameservers on the next page. It is essential to replace the old nameservers with Cloudflare’s.
- Access Cloudflare nameservers by clicking the tab of the control panel.
- In the section DNS management, you will see the Cloudflare nameservers assigned to your website. Copy these values.
- Open a new browser tab and go to your hosting control panel. For users, you will find the details of the nameservers in the tab domains.
- In the section change nameserversreplace both values with Cloudflare’s, and click Save.
- Go back to the Cloudflare page and tap Done.
- Check the tab on Cloudflare to see if the nameserver update was successful.
DNS can take up to 72 hours to propagate around the world. Once the nameservers update is complete, you will receive a confirmation email from Cloudflare.
You can also check the update status on the Cloudflare website. During this process, your page will not experience any downtime.
5. Configure HTTPS settings
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) secures website data through an SSL certificate. It is important to configure this setting to protect your WordPress site against potential data breaches and leaks.
It only takes two steps to configure HTTPS:
- Go to the tab of SSL in your Cloudflare dashboard. Choose full ssl if you have an existing SSL certificate or flexible SSL if you don’t have it.
The flexible SSL it serves to protect data transfers between the WordPress site and Cloudflare only. Meanwhile, the SSL complete provides end-to-end protection from your site to the visitor’s server.
- Go to the section of Edge Certificates and activate Always use HTTPS. It may take some time for the changes to be visible, so check back after a few hours. Once you see the confirmation message and a lock icon near the site’s URL, you’ll know it’s active.
If you have a hosting plan with , take advantage of SSL certificates free. Find them in the section advanced of the hPanel.
6. Install and configure the Cloudflare plugin for WordPress
To finish the process, you need to install the Cloudflare plugin for WordPress. This tool is loaded with a number of useful features to help you manage the CDN, such as:
- One Click WordPress Optimization
- Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rule Sets
- Automatic cache purge
- statistics
- Built-in Cloudflare settings for easy modification
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to install the Cloudflare WordPress plugin:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to plugins -> Add new.
- Look for the . Install it and activate it.
- Go to the page of setting and select cloudflare.
- Choose Get your API Key from here, located below.
- A new window will appear. Go to the tab API tokens and select Watch in the option API global key.
- Enter your Cloudflare password, and then copy the provided API key.
- Return to the page of setting of the plugin and paste the API key in the login field. Press the button Save API credentials.
Once Cloudflare is configured and logged into the WordPress plugin, you will notice several settings:
- WordPress Optimized Settings: Clicking Apply Cloudflare Recommended Settings, the values of the cache and security level, the automatic minimization and the IP geolocation will be reset. Cloudflare will automatically apply the settings to your WordPress site to improve its performance.
- Automatic Platform Optimization (APO): This function of the Cloudflare plugin is used to keep copies of your website data to increase load time. Ensure users can instantly access your content. With automatic platform optimization, Cloudflare stores both on its edge network.
- Purge the cache: the is the process of copying data from the website and placing it in temporary storage for instant access. Cache purge means that Cloudflare will erase all previously stored information in order to copy new data.
Using the Cloudflare plugin is a convenient way to manage settings within the WordPress dashboard.
Other Cloudflare Features: An In-Depth Look
Cloudflare has a lot to offer. Here are some of the additional features that Cloudflare offers, both free and paid.
1. Auto minify
Auto Minify is a service that automatically cleans the code of the website, making it more compact. Cloudflare does this by removing unnecessary characters on your WordPress website to increase site performance and improve user experience.
This is applicable for Javascript, CSS and HTML; it’s perfect for site owners who have a lot of plugins on their WordPress site. Auto Minify is available on all Cloudflare plans.
2. Brotli
Brotli guarantees fast data transfer between servers and browsers. It works by compressing files like images, text, and fonts. This feature helps increase the overall performance of your WordPress site.
To activate it, just go to the menu speed and look for it in the tab optimization. Brotli is available to everyone…
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