for someone who’s been working with WordPress for years I’ve been surprised at how much I didn’t know about DNS lookups and their impact on website speed.
I mean we all know that a slow website is a bad website but I hadn’t really considered how something like DNS lookups could be a big part of the problem.
What are DNS Lookups and Why Should We Care?
Think of it like this: your website’s address is a domain name like “example.com.” The DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet’s phonebook translating those friendly names into the IP addresses computers actually use to find websites.
A DNS lookup is what happens when a browser tries to figure out where that address lives on the internet.
But just like an actual phonebook sometimes the DNS can take a while to find the information.
Those slow lookups can really drag down a website’s speed making your visitors wait longer to see the content they’re looking for.
Measuring the Speed of DNS Lookups
Now nobody wants to wait for a website to load forever.
Thankfully we can measure how long DNS lookups take using tools like:
- DNSPerf: This tool is fantastic for testing the performance of different DNS providers. I’ve found it super helpful when looking for a faster more reliable DNS solution for my websites.
- GTmetrix: You might already use GTmetrix to check your website’s overall speed but it also breaks down performance metrics including DNS lookup times. It’s a great way to identify any slowdowns caused by DNS.
- PageSpeed Insights: This tool from Google is another excellent option for measuring website speed. It gives you detailed reports on areas for improvement including information on how long DNS lookups are taking.
Remember though that the speed of a DNS lookup can vary depending on where the request is coming from.
If someone is close to your server it will be much faster than for someone who is halfway across the world.
Strategies to Reduce DNS Lookups and Speed Up Your WordPress Site
Let’s get into the good stuff – how to actually speed things up! Here are some key strategies I’ve found to be the most effective:
1. Utilize a CDN (Content Delivery Network)
CDNs are basically like a network of servers strategically placed around the globe.
They store copies of your website’s files so when someone visits your site they can access the closest server and get the content faster.
But here’s the cool thing about CDNs and DNS lookups: They can actually prefetch the DNS records for your website meaning the lookup has already been done before the user even clicks on your link.
That’s seriously fast!
There are tons of great CDN options out there and many WordPress plugins can easily integrate them.
For instance Jetpack the plugin I use for everything offers an easy way to implement a CDN with just a few clicks.
2. Defer Non-Essential JavaScript
JavaScript can be awesome for adding dynamic features to your website but it can also be a real performance hog.
If you’re not careful those scripts can make your website feel slow and sluggish.
The trick is to defer the loading of JavaScript until after the initial content of your page has loaded.
That way the user can see the content right away without waiting for all the fancy JavaScript to finish.
Jetpack Boost offers an awesome option for this: you can easily defer non-essential JavaScript with a single setting and it’s a huge improvement in performance.
3. Host Files Locally
Whenever possible try to host your website’s assets (like images fonts and scripts) on your own server rather than relying on external resources.
This reduces the number of DNS lookups as the browser doesn’t have to go out and find the address of those assets separately.
4. Use a Reliable DNS Provider
Sometimes the issue isn’t with your website but with the DNS provider you’re using.
Just like with anything else there are fast and slow DNS providers and choosing the right one can make a big difference.
I’ve had excellent experiences with Cloudflare for example.
It’s known for its speed reliability and security and it’s a popular choice for many WordPress websites.
5. Minimize CNAME Records
CNAME records are like aliases for your domain name.
They can be helpful but if you use too many it can create a chain reaction of DNS lookups that slows things down.
Try to use A records whenever possible as they point directly to the IP address without needing to go through a chain of redirects.
6. Optimize Your WordPress Plugins
Some WordPress plugins can actually perform DNS lookups themselves especially those that rely on external resources for things like tracking analytics and live chat.
To minimize the impact of plugins use reliable plugins that are well-coded and try to limit the number of plugins that rely on external resources.
You can also test your website with different plugins disabled to see if that improves your DNS performance.
7. Consider Third-Party Resources
Every third-party resource you add to your website – like scripts fonts or videos – can potentially add another DNS lookup to the mix.
While these tools are super useful it’s important to be mindful of their impact on performance.
Sometimes you can host those third-party resources locally especially if they’re small files like fonts.
For larger files like videos you might want to look into options for lazy loading which only loads those resources when the user is ready to see them.
FAQ: Common Questions about DNS Lookups and WordPress
Here are some of the most common questions I get asked about DNS lookups and WordPress:
- How do DNS lookups impact the user experience? Slow DNS lookups can make your website feel slow and nobody likes waiting for a website to load. It can also lead to frustrated users abandoning your site before they even get to see what you have to offer.
- Can DNS lookups affect my Core Web Vitals scores? Absolutely. Slow DNS lookups can impact your website’s First Input Delay (FID) and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) scores both of which are crucial for ranking well in search engines and providing a good user experience.
- What are some other ways to improve my WordPress site’s performance? Beyond reducing DNS lookups there are tons of other things you can do to speed up your WordPress site. This includes optimizing images using a caching plugin and making sure your web hosting plan is up to the task.
Conclusion
Optimizing DNS lookups is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to creating a fast and reliable WordPress website.
By using a CDN deferring non-essential JavaScript and carefully choosing your plugins you can significantly reduce the number of DNS lookups and create a better user experience for your visitors.
Don’t be afraid to test out different solutions and see what works best for your website.
Remember every little bit helps!