Speed Up Your WordPress Website with Compress X: A Complete Guide

Hey everyone, do you have a WordPress website that feels slow? You know that it will hurt your SEO rank. Google doesn’t like slow websites. If your website loads slow, it won’t show up higher rank in search results, even if your content is great.

The Solution: Compress X Plugin

But don’t worry, today I have a 100% free and simple solution for that: it’s called Compress X, a WordPress plugin that helps make your website faster by compressing your images.

Testing Website Performance Before Optimization

I will apply Compress X to this website. It’s a very simple website with few images. Let’s see its current loading time. It’s showing very low performance in mobile, which is 26, and desktop, it’s 59. Let’s see how we can improve this website speed using this Compress X plugin.

Plugin Credentials

It’s a plugin with 10,000 active installers and with a 100% five-star rating.

Step 1: Installing Compress X Plugin

I’ll go to Plugins, then Add Plugin, then I will search for Compress X. You can also search for “AI app and webp converter.” I will install this plugin. I’ll click to “Install Now,” then “Activate.”

Step 2: Accessing Plugin Settings

Once it is activated, you can access this plugin’s setting by going over “Compress X,” or you can just click to “Settings”.

Step 3: Configuring Compress X Settings

Basic Configuration

With this simple interface, we will just enable a few settings. Let’s check it one by one. First of all, I will enable this one: it will convert my next upload image. GD and Imagick are image compressors; you don’t have to worry about it here.

Output Format Selection

You can choose your output format. You can keep it WebP or AVIF. I will keep it WebP.

Compression Level Settings

Here you can choose your compression level. By default, it’s fine. If you need a very detailed image, like a jewelry shop, then choose “loose”; otherwise, it’s fine. But if you don’t worry about image losing, then you can choose this one, but I will keep it as it is.

Advanced Settings Configuration

Let’s scroll down. I don’t want to convert PNG images; that’s why I will check this. I’ll keep everything same. Here is an option: if your website has a file that is larger than the original one, that will automatically delete. It’s a great feature.

Image Dimensions and Thumbnails

I’ll change maximum width and height; it’s enough for me. Here you can choose the thumbnail size you want to process. If you don’t want any of these, you just uncheck that. I will keep everything same.

Folder Exclusions

You can exclude folders not to compress. I will save changes. After changes, you can choose several folders here not to compress. That’s it.

Step 4: Running Bulk Compression

Let’s click to “Start Bulk Processing.” Welcome, it’s done, and it compressed around 44 MB of images, which is completely free.

Results: Before and After Comparison

Testing the Improved Website Speed

Let’s check the website now. Let’s check the website speed again in PageSpeed Insights. I will put the website URL here and analyze.

Performance Improvements

See the result now: it is 49, and in desktop, it is 73. It was before 26 in mobile and desktop was 59. This was before and this was after.

Analysis of Results

Though this is not enough speed for a website in my case, I have to work with this website’s speed, but just compressing the image, it improved huge.

Why Choose Compress X Plugin

This plugin is 100% free to use; you don’t need to create an account or buy anything. If you want your WordPress website to load fast and if you want better SEO rank, then Compress X is a must-have plugin.

Conclusion and Next Steps

So go ahead, install it today, and boost your website speed. Hope to see you in the next WPBravo tutorial. Till then, take care.