A website’s loading speed is a daily concern for every website owner, especially those who use WordPress.
Most people use so many plugins or use low-grade web hosting, which is one of the leading causes of slow websites. It might be a smart idea to consider a caching plugin such as WP Rocket or Autoptimize. The concept is correct, but it will not satisfy your expectations 100%.
It is true that a single caching plugin cannot increase website loading times ultimately. Thus, the Perfmatters WordPress plugin is a suitable solution to use along with a caching plugin. When it is configured correctly, this plugin offers a variety of benefits.
Currently, I am using Perfmatters on my site here at WP BASIC PRO. Hence, you can check the speed of my website with any tool.
For instance, if the load time of your website is 80% on the Google page speed test tool, I am sure that, after the use of Perfmatters, the load time will increase by over 90%. In this post, let me explain step by step with a live example if you are unclear.
On the other hand, in this review, I will describe the most notable features and benefits of the Perfmatters plugin. This includes its advantages and disadvantages, why you should use it, and many other things.
- What is Perfmatters?
- Test Your Webpage Speed Before Using Perfmatters
- Why should You Use Perfmatters?
- Features & Setting up of Perfmatters
- Performance Features
- Perfmatters Fonts Feature
- Perfmatters Security Features
- Perfmatters Lazy Loading Features
- Database Optimization
- CDN Integration
- Google Analytics Optimization
- Login URL & Behavior
- Header, Body & Footer Hooks:
- Perfmatters Preloading
- Perfmatters Script Manager
- Perfmatters License Verification
- How Much Does Perfmatters Cost?
- Money-Back Guarantee?
- Perfmatters Alternative
- Final Thoughts of Perfmatters
What is Perfmatters?
You already know what Perfmatters is. It is a web page speed optimization WordPress plugin. However, I am not sure who is behind it. OK, let me explain.
Perfmatters was developed by Brian Jackson and Brett Jackson, who are both highly knowledgeable in programming.
Brian Jackson has more than 13 years of experience with WordPress. He is a co-founder and former Chief Marketing Officer of Kinsta hosting, and owner of the Woorkup blog.
It is imperative to know who stands behind the product you are going to buy; therefore, I have provided a brief bio of the two individuals.
If the developer or owner of a product has a good reputation, chances are the product will be of the highest quality. Hence, at this point, the developers of the Perfmatters plugin are sufficient.
Test Your Webpage Speed Before Using Perfmatters
I am confident that this plugin will dramatically enhance your existing web loading time after installation and configuration.
Thus, I recommend testing your website load time before running Perfmatters on your WordPress website.
Many online tools are available to measure web pages’ loading time and analyze other web page-related resources. Two of the most popular tools are Google Page Speed and Pingdom.
You may also consider the Website speed test, Gtmatrix, or WebPageTest.org. You may use any of them to measure the loading time of your website.
Why should You Use Perfmatters?
I will not force you to use this plugin, but you can discover its magic once you install it on your site.
According to my research, there are a lot of professional bloggers and website owners who are using Perfmatters and the premium caching plugin. If you do not currently use a caching plugin, I recommend WP rocket or WP-Optimize, which are premium plugins. However, WP Rocket is recommended.
Currently, there are two free caching plugins you can use: WP Fastest Cache and W3 Total Cache.
In addition, you can use a CDN to enhance extra security protection and increase the loading time of a web page. A premium CDN is always better than a free CDN. If you do not have the budget, you can try Cloudflare’s free plan, ideal for small and low-traffic websites.
Now, let me show you the live testing result of my website regarding page speed.
The page speed of my WPBasic Pro blog was less than 80% on the desktop and 55% on the mobile before installing Perfmattes. I used the Google tool to conduct this testing.
I was surprised by Perfmatters after installing it on my blog. It has significantly improved the speed score by over 99% on desktops and nearly 95% on mobile devices.
You may check the load times of other website owners who use the Perfmatters plugin. Wpcoupons.io & arizonamri.com.
Note– It is not mandatory, but if you wish to achieve the best results, you should use a premium caching plugin in conjunction with this. You can use a free caching plugin.
Features & Setting up of Perfmatters
Perfmatters has lots of features to enhance WordPress performance. You can easily switch on/off of each option from the plugin setting section.
To operate this plugin, you never need to know any programming knowledge. The plugin configuration options have been built to think of beginner WordPress users.
Performance Features
All features necessary for WordPress performance optimization are included in this plugin because the two brothers have designed Perfmatters as an all-in-one web performance solution plugin for any WordPress site.
You can check the general features which increase web page performance rapidly.
- Disable Emojis
- Disable Embeds
- Remove Query Strings
- Remove jQuery Migrate
- Remove RSD Link
- Remove Shortlink
- Disable Self Pingbacks
- Disable REST API
- Remove REST API Links
- Disable Dashicons
- Disable Google Maps
- Disable Comments
- Remove Comment URLs
- Disable Heartbeat
- Heartbeat Frequency
- Limit Post Revisions
- Autosave Interval
Note– You can disable the above options from the plugin settings page. However, these options are not relevant for WordPress. You should therefore avoid enabling them with just a click.
Perfmatters Fonts Feature
Cloud feature is always a significant cause of web page slow loading. If you use Google font to your site using a theme setting, probably your website will be delayed for opening. So I’ll suggest disabling it and always trying to use the theme’s system font.
Perfmatters Security Features
WordPress security is another big part that we should never forget & take care of. WordPress is a highly usable CMS so that can hack at any time.
You can read our other guides about WordPress security.
You can read our other guides about WordPress security.
Nevertheless, you can disable some standard security features by using Perfmatters. This will help you to enhance site security and performance.
- Disable XML-RPC
- Change Login URL
- Hide WP Version
- Remove wlwmanifest Link
- Disable RSS Feeds
- Remove RSS Feed Links
- Disable Password Strength Meter
Along with Perfmatters, you can use a WordPress security plugin or disable some features primarily.
I recommend using a security plugin. The most effective plugins for WordPress security are iTheme Security and Sucuri. However, if you are a beginner, you may prefer to use All-in-one WordPress security, a free plugin.
WP Security Ninja is another alternative security plugin for WordPress sites.
Perfmatters Lazy Loading Features
Sometimes, a website takes a long time to load due to images. You can enable the lazy loading feature if you use many images with large files.
Its advanced features, such as lazy image loading and DOM monitoring, will increase the loading time of your website more than that of other performance plugins. In addition, if you use many PNG images on your WordPress site, you can convert them to JPG.
Another feature of this plugin is image Fade In which will faster your page loading by applying an image fade effect while scrolling the page.
Database Optimization
Perfmatters offers to optimize your site database manually or automatically. You can set automatic schedule optimization on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. So that you never have to use any additional plugin for this purpose.
CDN Integration
Before integrating a CDN, it is essential that you know why it is beneficial for your site to achieve the highest possible results.
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) can enhance the user experience on your site by providing faster loading times. So, users receive the most optimal performance from any region and on any device.
Cloudflare is one of the coolest CDNs, and it’s free. It is totally free. So you can easily use it with this plugin. You can use any CDN, not just Cloudflare.
Features of CDN section
- Enable CDN Rewrite
- CDN URL
- Included Directories
- CDN Exclusions
One of the coolest CDN is Cloudflare, and you don’t need to spend any money on it. It is totally free.
Google Analytics Optimization
Using Google Analytics’ optimization feature, you can reduce the unwanted DNS lookups and evaluate your website’s bounce rate. With Perfmatters, you have an option to enable Google Analytics, which allows you to optimize your website.
Navigate to the Perfmatters settings and select Google Analytics, then you need to enable the local analytics and provide your tracking number.
Using the Google Analytics optimization tool, you will be able to enable and disable certain features according to your needs, as well as discover any malfunctions on your website.
Features of Google Analytics section
- Enable Local Analytics
- Disable Display Features
- Anonymize IP
- Track Logged In Admins
- Adjusted Bounce Rate
- Use MonsterInsights
Login URL & Behavior
Perfmatters has recently added a custom login screen URL and behavior control options. To access your blog or website directly without navigating through the default admin or user login URLs, you can enable the custom login URL.
So if you want to change the default WordPress login URL wp-admin or wp-login, you can change this setting. As a result, you will not need to use any other plugins since you will find this option in this plugin.
Header, Body & Footer Hooks:
Do not worry if your theme does not have a header, body, or footer section for adding the custom script globally. If you would like to add any code, a script like Google Analytics, or any other code to your site, you can do so.
With this plugin, you can control what is loaded in your website’s header, body, and footer. Additionally, many more customized features are available to you, which help to enhance your website’s performance.
Perfmatters Preloading
This plugin also offers preloading, which is one of the most compelling features for increasing the speed of loading a website. For example, a Google page speed test recommends using a preloader to test a web page’s speed. This is a convenient way to see how the webpage will load before visiting it.
This plugin can also be used as a preloader. In that case, all of the elements you have configured in the preloading section of your website will be loaded in the background without affecting the loading speed of your website.
Note– If you want to use a preloader on your WordPress website, you cannot use a third-party preloader plugin. But don’t worry; this plugin will allow you to add a preloader to your website with the same interface.
Perfmatters Script Manager
There is a script manager in Perfsmatters that allows you to enable or disable an item based on your requirements. To access the script manager for your site, click the Perfmatter setting and select the Extras option. Next, enable the script manager icon.
By disabling unnecessary scripts on your site, you can increase the speed of your website (especially the homepage).
Perfmatters License Verification
The Perfmatters team always strives to update its systems and features, and you may access the latest version at any time through your WordPress dashboard.
Therefore, you should go to the Perfmatters settings and click the license option. Then, enter your license key and click Save.
By updating your license key on your site, you will automatically receive every updated plugin version so that you can update it with a single click.
How Much Does Perfmatters Cost?
The Perfmatters plugin can significantly boost the speed of your website, and you can get it at the lowest price. Additionally, there are three different pricing categories available to suit your needs.
They will charge less than $30/year with one year of premium support and updates for a single website.
You have two more choices if you want to use Perfmatters for business or multiple purposes. It will cost you around $54.95/year for three websites and approximately $124.95/year for unlimited websites with customer support.
Their customer service team is very friendly, and you will receive unlimited support and updates after the purchase has been made. In addition, you will receive email support within 24 hours.
You can apply the “WPBASICPRO” discount code to receive up to 20% off. This is a mega discount.
Money-Back Guarantee?
You do not have to worry about your money. Perfmatters always care for their customers, which is why they offer a money-back guarantee of 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with their service, they will refund your money within 3-5 business days.
Perfmatters Alternative
Without a doubt, Perfmatters is one of the most popular WordPress performance plugins available, but there are still many other performance plugins you can find on the market.
Perfmatters is a premium plugin for websites, but it might not suit you, or you may prefer to use a free plugin to speed up your website.
Therefore, if you do not have a sufficient budget, I recommend using a good-rated plugin, both free and premium. Below are the options you can choose from according to your needs and preferences.
- Query Monitor– Excellent and free WordPress site development plugin.
- Lazyload by WP Rocket– Simple but effective WordPress performance plugin.
- Autoptimize- Free and multi-functional plugin.
Final Thoughts of Perfmatters
You should ensure that your website is well optimized for users, as your website is an asset. According to my research, people do not appreciate using a website whose page speed ratio is more excellent than four seconds.
A well-rated WordPress performance plugin can enhance your webpage’s performance, and I recommend you select “Perfmatters” as it is a worthwhile investment.
Additionally, optimizing other elements is necessary to speed up a WordPress site. First, however, I have attempted to give you an in-depth review of this product and highlight its most notable features for your better understanding.
