SWIS Performance Settings
SWIS Performance.
I've already written about SWIS Performance in a few articles; this one focuses on the settings.
The plugin comes from the same team behind the well-known EWWW Image Optimizer. In addition to the standard subscription plans, you can also purchase a lifetime license via Appsumo to purchase a lifetime license.
This license includes the SWIS Performance plugin, and you may install both plugins on up to 10 websites. Details are provided at the link above on Appsumo.
The Performance plugin is similar to the well-known WP Rocket plugin and, as you’d expect, works perfectly with the EWWW Image Optimizer. I get the same great results on my site as I do with WP Rocket, which is more expensive in the long run. With WP Rocket, I’d still have to purchase a separate license for their in-house image optimizer, Imagify—though I generally prefer EWWW. It simply works faster for me, and I have more control over the settings.
By the way, I haven't activated the API included in the license—I run everything locally through my own site.
My SWIS Performance Settings
Now let's look at the settings for the SWIS Performance plugin:
- Caching is, of course, enabled under "Page Caching"
- I've set the "expiration" cache lifetime to 72 hours. This has worked without any issues for me so far, since I haven't integrated a store and registration isn't available. To be on the safe side, set the cache lifetime to 10 hours.
- The WEBP variant is also enabled, since I use the Image Optimizer to generate WEBP images.
- Under "Exclusions," you can list the pages that are excluded from caching. For me, for example, this is the contact page, so that the CAPTCHA reloads every time the page is accessed.
- Cache Preload is also enabled—this allows SWIS Performance to automatically create the cache files
- I have "Optimize CSS Loading" disabled—the Enfold theme already offers CSS optimization. With it disabled, my pages load a little faster and without any issues at all.
- My Critical CSS is completely empty—I would only need that with the Enfold theme if I had enabled the "Optimize CSS Loading" option above.
- CSS minification is enabled; I didn't have to define any exceptions.
- "Optimize JS Loading" is also enabled. If you use sliders, you should select "inline-scripts" under "Exclusions." At least, that's what's required for the Enfold theme.
- Minify JS is also enabled—I've only excluded the JS file for the "Koko Analytics" statistics plugin here
- None of the options that follow are enabled for me, since I don't load Google Fonts or include any third-party domains.
Test Results
Since there’s a slider on my homepage, I have to make some compromises when it comes to performance. I wouldn’t go so far as to call sliders “performance killers,” but tools like GTMetrix and Google Page Insights aren’t particularly fond of them. If necessary, it’s a good idea to test a page without the slider.
By the way, I’ve disabled the slider for mobile pages. The accordion slider doesn’t make much sense on a cell phone due to the image size.
As with other caching/performance plugins: Give SWIS Performance a little time to build up the cache; right after activation, the results tend to be rather disappointing.
Generally, the results for mobile pages will always be slightly lower than those for desktop resolutions, since Google has enabled the “Slow G4 Throttling” criterion in Page Insights. On a modern smartphone, the speed perceived by the visitor will be on par with a desktop connection.
With the settings listed above, I get the following average results for the homepage:
Mobile: 96
Desktop: 99
GTMetrix assigns a B performance rating (also based on the slider).
If I measure the blog’s overview page instead—that is, a page without a slider—GTMETRIX gives me a perfect A.
Google Page Insights gives me a perfect 100 for the desktop version—but for mobile, it’s “only” 92 due to the many images on the blog page.
Some Tips at the End
Especially if you're using a shared hosting plan, the results will always vary. This is due more to server load than to caching plugins.
Don't waste too much time trying to squeeze out those last few drops of speed using various tools. In the end, it always comes down to a compromise between the website’s appearance and its speed. If, like me, you use a slider for aesthetic reasons, you’ll have to accept a slight loss in speed. Unfortunately, there’s currently no way to change that—neither with SWIS Performance nor with any other tool.
And don't forget: The EWWW team provides really great support.
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