MdmHost servers combine LiteSpeed, NVMe storage and CloudLinux, so the hardware is rarely the bottleneck. Slow WordPress sites are almost always caused by missing page caching, heavy themes, too many plugins or oversized images. Work through this checklist in order and measure after each change.
Before you start
- Measure a baseline with PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix for your home page and one typical post. Note the Time to First Byte (TTFB) and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
- Take a backup or use a staging copy so you can undo plugin changes.
Turn on page caching
- In WordPress open Plugins → Add New, search for LiteSpeed Cache, install and activate it.
- Go to LiteSpeed Cache → Cache and make sure Enable Cache is on.
- Remove other page caching plugins (WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket page caching). Two caches fight each other.
Server-level caching usually cuts TTFB from several hundred milliseconds to well under 100 ms for visitors who are not logged in.
Use a current PHP version
Newer PHP versions run WordPress noticeably faster. Open cPanel → Software → Select PHP Version (CloudLinux) or MultiPHP Manager, pick the newest version your plugins support, and enable the opcache extension if it is not already on.
Optimise images
- Resize images before upload. A hero image rarely needs to be wider than 1920 px.
- In LiteSpeed Cache → Image Optimization request optimisation and enable WebP replacement.
- Turn on lazy loading for images and iframes under LiteSpeed Cache → Page Optimization → Media Settings.
Trim plugins and the theme
- Deactivate plugins you do not use, then delete them. Look especially for duplicate SEO, security or slider plugins.
- Use the Query Monitor plugin temporarily to see which plugin adds the most database queries or slow hooks.
- Prefer a lightweight theme. Multi-purpose themes loading dozens of scripts on every page cost more than any optimisation can save.
Minify and defer carefully
Under LiteSpeed Cache → Page Optimization enable CSS and JS minify first, test, then try combine and defer one setting at a time. If menus or sliders stop working, switch the last option off.
Clean the database
- Limit post revisions in
wp-config.phpwithdefine( 'WP_POST_REVISIONS', 10 );. - Use LiteSpeed Cache → Database → DB Optimizer to remove old revisions, spam comments and expired transients.
- Replace WordPress's visitor-triggered cron with a real cron job on busy sites.
Measure again
Re-run your tests in a private window. If TTFB is still high only for logged-in users, that is normal: pages for logged-in users are not cached. If it is high for everyone, check that cache headers show x-litespeed-cache: hit in your browser's developer tools.
Common speed problems and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| High TTFB on every page | No page cache or cache bypassed | Enable LiteSpeed Cache and check for plugins sending no-cache headers |
| Fast TTFB, slow LCP | Large hero image or web fonts | Compress and resize the image, preload the font |
| Admin dashboard slow | Heavy plugin or many cron events | Use Query Monitor and a real cron job |
| Slow only at certain times | Account hitting CloudLinux limits | Check cPanel → Metrics → Resource Usage |
If Resource Usage shows you regularly reach your CPU or entry process limits even with caching on, the site has outgrown the plan. Contact support so we can look at the logs with you before you upgrade.
Use a CDN for global visitors
MdmHost has servers in Germany, the USA and Singapore. If most visitors are on another continent, choose the nearest location for new sites and consider a CDN such as QUIC.cloud or Cloudflare for static files. Keep only one layer caching HTML pages to avoid stale content.