Table of Contents
What is Website Caching?
Why Does Website Caching Matter?
What are the Types of Website Caching?
Static vs. Dynamic Caching
Benefits from Implementing Website Caching
Choosing the Right Caching Tools and Plugins
Recently, a client asked me to explain website caching during an SEO discussion, so I figured this might be a good topic to cover in this blog article.
What is Website Caching?
Website caching is a type of temporary memory that saves copies of website files in order to reduce page loading times, for returning visitors. Thus, website caching means storing copies of files or data in quickly accessible locations.
The locations where these copied files can be stored are:
- Web browser’s cache
- On remote servers (e.g. Content Delivery Networks or CDNs)
- Within the operating system’s RAM (page cache).
Why Does Website Caching Matter?
Caching speeds up web page load times, which encourages visitors to stick around longer, increasing user engagement. Moreover, Google considers website page speed, as part of its Core Web Vitals. As such, slower loading web pages may not do as well in their SERPs.
What are the Types of Website Caching?
Browser Caching
Your browser saves files, such as stylesheets or images, right on your device. Headers tell it how long to keep them, using rules like Cache-Control. This means no need to re-download cached files on every visit. This speeds up page load times.
Server-Side Caching
Web servers temporarily store information, such as full and parts of a web page or small data “bits”, in its RAM (random access memory). This information is put into memory banks, resulting in greater processing speed.
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
Content Delivery Networks or CDNs (such as Cloudflare) spread your files across servers closest to users worldwide. Thus, a website visitor in South America pulls files from there, not from the United States. This dramatically shortens page load times.
Static vs. Dynamic Caching
Static Caching
Static caching stores unchanging items, like a blog featured image because these types of information do not usually get updated. Thus, such static elements are served indefinitely, unless they are replaced with something new.
Dynamic Caching
Dynamic caching handles user tweaks…for example, custom carts in e-commerce stores. It caches short-term or by parts, in order to keep information current.
For e-commerce product pages, cache chunks like descriptions but refresh prices often. This approach offers speed without stale sales data.
Database and Application-Level Caching
Databases cache query results so that full scans are unnecessary. MySQL holds popular pulls in quick memory. This speeds up data hunts for busy websites.
Benefits from Implementing Website Caching
Because caching helps speed up your website, the benefits can include lower bounce rates, a better user experience, improved user engagement and higher conversion rates. This can also improve your website’s ability to rank higher.
Choosing the Right Caching Tools and Plugins
Many hosting providers offer use of CDNs. Alternatively, if you run a WordPress website, you can implement caching plugins to help speed up your website, such as WP Super Cache, .
Website caching can turn your slow website into one that loads really fast. It can also result in visitors spending more time on your website as it enhances user experience and improves engagement and conversions.
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