How to improve WordPress site performance with LSCache

LiteSpeed Cache (LSCache) has plenty of advanced features that can enhance the speed of your site and make your pages load instantly. This can help your site handle a lot more traffic and reduce the resource usage of your account/server, preventing complicated and costly hosting plan or server upgrades.

This guide will show you how you can install and setup LSCache on WordPress, but please note that LSCache also has plugins for Joomla, Magento, PrestaShop and many other popular web apps (see here).

Install the LiteSpeed Cache Plugin

Before we can begin, we'll need to install the LiteSpeed Cache (LSCache) plugin, as follows:

1. Login to your WP Admin Dashboard (e.g. https://yourdomain.tld/wp-admin or https://yourdomain.tld/wp-login.php - replace with your actual domain).
2. In the left sidebar, navigate to Plugins -> Add New, then enter "LiteSpeed Cache" in the search bar and click on the Install Now button:
   
3. Stay on the same page and click on the Activate button to enable the plugin.

Request a Domain Key

Many features in LSCache will require a domain key to be assigned. If your site has never used LSCache before, you can request a new key as follows:

1. In the left sidebar, navigate to LiteSpeed Cache -> General.
2. Next to Domain Key, click on the Request Domain Key button:
   
3. You should get a confirmation that the request has been submitted:
   
4. You should allow about 15 to 30 minutes for the Domain Key to be generated and sent to your WordPress site. Once the Domain Key gets approved and assigned, you will get a confirmation when you refresh the page:
   

That's it, your WordPress site should have a domain key now and access to more LSCache features.

Optionally, you can also link the site to QUIC.cloud by clicking on the Link to QUIC.cloud button on the right. This gives you access to its Content Delivery Network (CDN) and other services for WordPress (i.e. image optimisation, page optimisation, security features, and more).

Apply a LiteSpeed Cache Configuration Preset

Next we will apply a pre-defined configuration preset. This makes the initial configuration much easier. Instead of going through all LSCache settings and applying them manually, you simply apply all necessary settings in one click.

1. In the left sidebar, navigate to LiteSpeed Cache -> Presets:
   
2. Determine the configuration preset that matches your site best.
3. Click on the Apply Preset button and confirm.

You can find out for which type of website the preset is useful for under "Who should use this preset?" of each preset. The Advanced is recommended for most websites, but please note that it requires a Domain Key first. This can be retrieved under LiteSpeed Cache -> General.

For more detailed information about configuration presets, please check the documentation: Presets | LSCache for WordPress | LiteSpeed Documentation (litespeedtech.com)

You can switch to different profiles and test which settings work best and deliver the best performance results. However, please note that the higher profile you select, the more probable it is that some functions on your site can become non-functional. There are certain LSCache features that require some manual adjustments and may not be fully compatible with your site. Please always test your site after every change in the LSCache configuration. It's recommended to export your current settings in LiteSpeed Cache -> Presets under the Import / Export tab so you can revert any faulty changes if necessary.

Optimise the WordPress Database

LSCache can help you optimise the database by cleaning up the database tables, which on some older sites can have a significant performance benefit. Most frequently the larger the database becomes, the slower the pages will load, especially within the WP Admin Dashboard.

Before running the database optimisations, please assure to define the number and age of revisions (of pages, posts, etc.). You can do this in LiteSpeed Cache -> Database under the DB Optimization Settings tab:

Then you can proceed running some or all of the optimisations under LiteSpeed Cache -> Database under the Manage tab:

Important: Please be aware that all data that LSCache cleans up from the database is cleaned up permanently. The only way to recover the data is by restoring the WordPress MySQL database. Before cleaning up anything, please assure that you have one or more recent database backups available.

More information about the database clean-up features can be found here: Database | LSCache for WordPress | LiteSpeed Documentation (litespeedtech.com)

Test Performance Results

You can test the before and after results under LiteSpeed Cache -> General by clicking on the Sync buttons next to the Page Load Time and PageSpeed Score boxes:

You can also perform external performance tests using tools, such as:

• GTmetrix | Website Performance Testing and Monitoring
• Website Speed Test | Pingdom Tools
• PageSpeed Insights (web.dev)

The results will be different for every website, depending on various factors, such as the size of the site, the number and type of installed plugins, the theme and other factors.

Learn More about LSCache

There are plenty of features that LSCache has, which we cannot cover in one article. We recommend exploring the official documentation to learn more about how LSCache works and how it can benefit your website: LSCache for WordPress | LiteSpeed Documentation (litespeedtech.com)

Updated by SP on 03/02/2023