Prior to implementing WordPress on any high-traffic website, it is critical to ensure that the website is prepared to handle the increased incoming traffic levels.

While WordPress is undoubtedly capable of managing large levels of incoming traffic, any website platform has limitations in terms of what it can accomplish on its own. When you make modifications to your web hosting account/server, file sizes, or caching system, you must ensure that your website does not slow down or crash after a few visitors.

Sustainable High-Traffic WordPress Tips

Hardware Constraints

As with any other web application, WordPress is limited by the amount of traffic that the hardware can support. Essentially, there are two major impediments to your website performing successfully under conditions of high user flow.

• Processor Constraints
• Network Constraints

Processor Constraints

The increased traffic can place a strain on your server’s internal resources. Ascertain that your web hosting server has an adequate amount of processing power and memory to meet the website’s requirements. WordPress’s default website requirements are shown below. Individual websites, on the other hand, may require additional resources in some circumstances.

 

MySQL

WordPress, like a large number of other blogging and web apps, stores and generates data using MySQL. Each request made by WordPress to MySQL, including reading and writing operations, adds to the server’s load. WordPress is constantly optimized to minimize the amount of MySQL requests necessary for normal functioning. However, the development procedures adopted for themes and plugins may result in an increase in the amount of MySQL used to run a website. When incoming traffic is strong, a large number of concurrent database connections are generated, putting the server under strain. When a server connection is not established, the visitor’s browser displays the ‘Connection timed out’ answer.

The state of the MySQL connection can be improved by modifying the MySQL configuration or by increasing the server’s memory and processing power. Additionally, you can optimize MySQL performance by leveraging query caching and properly indexing. Please keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all solution; each website’s functionality varies.

 

ASP.NET

Because WordPress is a web server-friendly application, it can run on a variety of different systems. Although Apache and Linux are the most capable platforms for running WordPress, any server that runs PHP and MySQL will work well. Ascertain that your web server offers an up-to-date and reliable version of PHP and MySQL to facilitate the installation of WordPress.

PHP is the programming language that WordPress uses to communicate with the server. If the PHP execution method is not chosen correctly, it might also have an effect on server performance. The server generates a new instance of the PHP program for each PHP file requested by the visitor using the CGI approach. Each PHP request is controlled by a single shared module instance in shared module mode.

 

The capacity of the Network

A slow internet connection may impose a limit on the number of pages your server can provide in a given amount of time. Typically, your server’s network provider (web host / ISP) connects it to their internal network through a ‘Ethernet’ adapter. Generally, adapters function at a maximum rate of 10Mb/s or 1Gb/s. Your server is limited to the speed of your network connection when transmitting files. Additionally, there are a variety of other factors that can affect the actual transfer rate that your server observes.

To begin, it’s critical to understand that many of these figures (including the network adapter speed on your server) are hypothetical. In practice, your server will never be able to transfer files at the adapter’s maximum speed. This is because, in addition to the data itself, the server transmits the router information necessary for your users to access your website. Due to this ‘network overhead,’ only a fraction of the server’s total bandwidth is accessible for file transmission.

Additionally, your server is likely to be connected to a large number of devices at your network provider’s facilities. Additionally, these devices may impose constraints on the speed at which your server operates. The devices are in place because the network provider must divide the limited bandwidth among numerous servers at a single location, and all available bandwidth must be shared.

Certain network providers may permit the data to be ‘burst.’ This means that in the event of strong incoming traffic loads, you may momentarily exceed the specified transfer speed limit. The hardware used by the network provider is designed to recognize when this is necessary. Certain providers may charge an additional fee for this feature, while others may not charge anything and even others may not offer it at all.

 

In-Service Network Transfer Rate

To understand why connection bandwidth is critical for a high-traffic website, a little mathematics is required!

You read that correctly…..maths!

Assume your website receives 100,000 unique visitors every day. Additionally, we will assume that a hit is a single data transfer, regardless of whether it is a single file or an entire web page with associated files. By averaging these figures, 100,000 hits per day equal 1.16 hits per second. Assume additionally that an average hit generates 160 KB of transferred data, which includes HTML, CSS, pictures, and downloaded files, among other things. Additionally, your website transmits 190 KB of data per second. The majority of network speeds are specified in terms of ‘bits per second,’ while file sizes are specified in terms of ‘bytes.’ Numerous network providers use this label to restrict the transfer rate of a website; some rate it higher, while others rate it lower. However, this is a healthy pace that can be sustained only if each individual user accesses the website on a consistent basis.

Typically, your website will have multiple visitors at any given time. On the other side, there are several instances when your website receives no traffic. If ten individuals suddenly visit your website in a split second and this hit period is sustained for an extended length of time, you will require a 15 MB/s connection to support the simultaneous connections.

If the network adapter’s speed is barely 10MB/s, your website’s demand has already exceeded its capacity, and the network, not WordPress, is to blame for your traffic troubles.

A connection speed of 100 Mb/s can support up to 70 concurrent connections at the same download rate. However, the majority of network providers may be unable to deliver the necessary bandwidth as part of their shared hosting packages. You’ll need to select a managed WordPress hosting plan (Pay for Usage).

 

Excess Transfers

You may encounter transfer overages if you host huge files such as podcasts, films, or large photo galleries. Oftentimes, the hosting package includes a cap on the amount of data that can be transferred in a specified amount of time. Once your account reaches that limit, additional data transfers will incur a fee. Generally, increasing your transfer limit will result in an increase in the price of your hosting plan. Certain web hosting companies provide plans that include unlimited data transmission. However, rather than selecting an unlimited package, it is critical to choose the appropriate web hosting platform for your website’s requirements.

 

Solutions for Extreme Traffic

Only when WordPress is properly configured can it perform optimally. The following are some critical steps you can take if you believe that heavy traffic is affecting the operation of your website:

Plugin for the LiteSpeed Cache

Web Page Caching: By producing static HTML versions of web pages, the LiteSpeed plugin aids in the response time reduction. This allows web servers to serve them without requiring PHP to be invoked. When new comments or edits are made to pages, the cache is updated automatically.

Minification is a procedure that removes unnecessary characters from HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files. Following that, the cached files are compressed via HTTP.

Caching of Database Queries/Objects: Additionally, database queries/objects are cached. This enables numerous websites to significantly reduce the amount of time required to generate new pages. This is particularly advantageous for websites with a high volume of comments.

LiteSpeed manages the headers, which include caching, expiration dates, and entity tags. As a result, web browser caching of files is regulated, which reduces server load and improves website performance.

Using a content delivery network (CDN): You can offload resources from your current hosting account by utilizing a content delivery network (CDN). The LiteSpeed plugin routes requests for CSS, pictures, JavaScript, and a variety of other static assets across a network of powerful servers. Automatically, the server nearest to the visitor is used to download files; this ensures the fastest download speed possible.

The LiteSpeed plugin can be used to optimize WordPress websites hosted on single or several servers via a cloud hosting platform.

Switch Plugins / Graphics Off Or Limit Their Use In WordPress

If your blog contains a big volume of code and web design features, you may experience the consequences of increased traffic more quickly. Additionally, the WordPress plugins are contained in the files that your WordPress theme references. These themes, in turn, generate queries to your database in order to populate your blog with information. The more WordPress plugins you possess, the more powerful your website will become.