So-called caching plugins are enjoying increasing popularity among WordPress bloggers. Thus, the loading time of the website profits very clearly from an activated chaching plugin. This pleases both the visitor and the search engines.
One of these plugins to improve loading times is the W3 Total Cache plugin. What this plugin does in detail and which advantages and disadvantages it has, you will learn in the following.
Why a caching plugin?
Of course, not every blogger necessarily needs such a plugin. Many webmasters also improve the loading times of the website manually, for example by reducing the size of the images or decluttering the source code. Often, this is already enough to reduce the loading time. What must also be said is that the Webspace also has a large share in the performance. Depending on the provider and service package, the performance here varies very significantly. This is often also noticeable in the price.
The caching plugin can also be useful if the web space is not created for high performance. Any deficits in the loading time can be compensated by such a plugin so great. Usually, the plugin works in such a way that the website is cached as an HTML file for a specified period of time. Thus, it does not come to a renewed query of the Databasewhen the visitor returns to the website. The database is thus virtually relieved. This practice is usually called page cache or disk cache.
The W3 Total Cache plugin also has some other caching options, which are explained in more detail at the end of the article.
pros and cons
As already indicated, such plugins have various advantages and disadvantages. The use of such plugins should be well considered.
Advantages
A very big advantage is that the use of a caching plugin can significantly reduce server performance. This saves resources in the utilization of the database as well as the CPU of the server. The visitors are therefore shown the cached website for a certain period of time.
At the same time, this brings an advantage in terms of costs. By using a caching plugin, a smaller webspace package is often sufficient, which does not necessarily shine with the highest performance. However, this weakness can be compensated for.
A further advantage is that the server can better cope with possible visitor rushes. It is not uncommon for servers to go down on their knees when traffic jumps and many users call the website's content at the same time.
Disadvantages
The biggest disadvantage of these plugins is actually obvious. What is an advantage in terms of loading time is at the same time a disadvantage in terms of the topicality of the website. Because the pages are static with the plugin activated, it is no longer possible to display dynamic content. This can also lead to problems when using other WordPress plugins. The displayed website contains data that was cached at a certain point in time. This data may simply be out of date.
Another disadvantage is the management of such plugins. Not infrequently, caching plug-ins host an infinite number of functions that are not familiar to the normal WordPress user. Often it comes to a deactivation of the plugin and the problems start all over again.
Recommendation: W3 Total Cache
The W3 Total Cache plugin is a clear recommendation because it comes with many useful features. This factor is not to be seen negatively with the W3 Total Cache plugin, because the individual functions are explained in a comprehensible way and the backend is quasi intuitive to use. Furthermore, there is also a detailed online help, which clears up any ambiguities.
If other caching plugins only offer the possibility to temporarily store the website, the W3 Total Cache is loaded with much more functions. So it's great for both inexperienced users and experts who want to fine-tune the blog.
