What is caching?
Caching refers to saving certain digital files to help reduce the overall page load of a website. (More on why that’s important in just a sec.)
These digital files include:
- images and videos
- style and javascript files
- complex code output
How does caching work?
- When someone clicks a link that takes them to your website, their computer browser (such as Chrome or Firefox) makes a request to load your website.
- The server where your website lives sends the files that make up your website back to their browser.
- Then their browser puts all the files together to display what they experience as your website. Ta-da!*
*Want a handy graphic? Check out WP Engine’s super colorful caching diagram.
Why does caching matter?
Caching helps reduce the amount of data your website has to load every time someone goes to your site.
This caching accomplishes a number of awesome and very important things:
- improves site speed and efficiency
- reduces strain on servers
- leads to quicker load times
- provides a better user experience for your site visitors
How to make sure you’re in the clear
Caching can happen in several locations, including your hosting server, CDN and browser.
If you host your website with us and WP Engine, server side caching is already included in your hosting plan.
And this helps make sure your site visitors get your message as clearly—and quickly—as possible. 🙌
For every additional second a page takes to load, 10% of users leave.
BBC
Binocular image credit: Amels on Unsplash