Best Perfmatters Settings and Its Setup With 3 Popular Cache Plugins

Are you looking for the best Perfmatters settings to deliver the ideal results? If you are, I have got you covered. This article will show the best Perfmatters settings and configurations with three popular caching plugins.

Optimizing your WordPress website for better speed is not optional. Speed optimization is mandatory since it affects the overall user experience and ranking. Apart from choosing a good hosting provider and lightweight theme, a performance improvement plugin can help you with the task.

In my experience, Perfmatters is one of the lightweight and easy-to-use performance plugins you can use to take your website’s speed to the next level.

Wondering which Perfmatters settings will give you the maximum benefits?

Keep reading this article to know more about the ideal Perfmatters settings. In this post, I will teach you the best Perfmatters settings for page speed. This way, you can improve the overall loading speed of the website and loading of images and get a better Google pagespeed insights score.

But before going further, let’s see what Perfmatters is and how it helps with speed optimization.

Perfmatters: An Introduction

If you have been in the blogging and WordPress industry for a while, you probably know Perfmatters. It is one of the best and most lightweight performance optimization plugins.

Perfmatters also has excellent features that most bloggers and WooCommerce store owners feel are useful. Some of the key features of Perfmatters are:

• Limiting post revisions
• Hosting Google Fonts locally
• Locally hosting Google Analytics code
• Modifying the WordPress heartbeat
• Disabling emoji, dashicons, and embeds
• WooCommerce optimization

And more.

In a nutshell, Perfmatters comes with excellent performance optimization features and a few security options.

Regarding the pricing, Perfmatters has no free version. Hence you can’t download it from the WordPress plugin repository.

It is a complete premium plugin. Their plan starts at $24.95 a year for a single-site license. When you are just beginning, the single site license would be ideal. Their top-tier subscription will let you use the plugin on unlimited sites.

Now you know what Perfmatters is. Next, let’s see the ideal Perfmatters settings you can get.

Best Perfmatters Settings to Improve Pagespeed: Recommended Configuration

The Perfmatters plugin has an easy-to-use dashboard, which you can see under the WordPress settings section.

I will teach you how to configure the following options:

• General settings
• Asset settings
• Preloading settings
• Lazy loading settings
• Fonts settings
• CDN settings
• Analytics settings
• Database settings

Once you have modified the Perfmatters settings according to my suggestion, you can see an improvement in the overall page speed.

Without any further ado, let’s start with tweaking the general settings of Perfmatters.

General Settings

Inside the General Settings, you can see every main configuration option. Here are the settings I use and recommend:

• Disable Emojis: Enable – Turn this feature on. This will turn off a tiny JS file. If your caching plugin enables this feature, turn it off inside the Perfmatters settings.
• Disable Dashicons: Enable – Disabling dashicons is another excellent way to improve the website’s speed. However, sometimes, it can break the website. If you are experiencing any technical issues, you can disable the dashicons individually using script manager (we will talk about script manager later in this article).
• Disable Embeds: Enable – While you paste a YouTube URL or Twitter post into the WordPress editor, it will be converted to an embed. If this feature is not mandatory, you can enable this option.
• Disable XML-RPC: Enable – It is terrible for both speed and security. Turning off the XML-RPC option would be one of the great things you should do.
• Remove jQuery Migrate: Enable – If you are a fan of page builders and using them to create stunning designs, disable this option. Otherwise, enable it so you can get better speed and performance. Removing unnecessary scripts will help you with the speed score.
• Hide WP Version: Enable – You can enable this feature to improve your website’s security. Once you have hidden the version of the WordPress CMS you use, you can prevent targeted attacks.
• Remove wlwmanifest Link: Enable – Trust me. You are not going to use the live editor feature of Windows. So, there is no point in keeping it.
• Remove RSD Link: Enable – This is used to edit the site in a browser.
• Remove Shortlink: Enable – If you use the permalink structure post-name, enable this.
• Disable RSS Feeds: Disable – While you handle a blog archive and send out newsletters, you do not need to disable the RSS feed.
• Remove RSS Feed Links: Enable – You can remove unnecessary links to other pages in the feed by enabling this option.
• Disable Self-Pingbacks: Enable – You can disable the self-pingbacks through these settings.
• Disable REST API: Disabled when logged out – The best option is optimized for the website’s speed and security. If the method mentioned above is causing errors, you can use the Disable for Non-Admins feature.
• Remove REST API Links: Enable – Enabling this option will remove a simple line of code created by REST API.
• Disable Google Maps: Disable – If you are not using Google Maps inside your website, you can disable the feature. However, some themes and plugins come with the Maps integration. If you need to get rid of it, enable this Perfmatters option.
• Disable Password Strength Meter: Enable – Removing the password strength meter is an excellent way to reduce the server load.
• Disable Comments: Disable – Comments are a great way to communicate. So, do not enable this feature. On the other hand, if you are handling a one-page website or need a way to stop spam comments, you can disable the comments.
• Remove Comment URLs: Enable – People usually use comments for spamming. So, remove the comment URL field to keep your blog or website clean.
• Add Blank Favicon: Disable – You do not need to add a blank favicon to the website’s comments.
• Remove Global Styles: Enable – You can remove some unminified code from the WordPress core by enabling this option.
• Disable Heartbeat: only allow while editing posts or pages – This is the recommended setting by the Perfmatters team.
• Limit Post Revisions: 3 or 4 – Keep it under four if you need to restore the old version of blog posts or pages.
• Autosave Interval: 5 minutes – Instead of keeping 1 minute, make it 5 minutes.
• Custom Login URL: Add a unique URL – To improve security, you can add a custom login URL.

Once you have completed configuring this, move to the next step.

Assets Settings

The Assets Settings comes with three major options.

1. Script manager
2. JavaScript optimization
3. CSS optimizations

Let’s see how to optimize the code correctly.

Script Manager

Script manager is a powerful feature. When you need to take care of the JS executions individually, enable the script manager setting. These are for advanced users. You can remove unnecessary code from the website using this option.

After enabling it, go to the website’s front end. You will see a new option called Script Manager on the top bar.

Enable the display dependencies and test mode once you have opened the Script Manager settings.

Now, you can control JavaScript usage. For example, I have installed the Social Snap sharing plugin. Since I only display the sharing buttons inside blog posts, I can eliminate the JS code from everywhere else.

Similarly, you can configure your WordPress website and optimize the JavaScript executions. Now if you scroll to the bottom, you can see all the plugin that uses jQuery.

jQuery is known for slowing down the website. Look for lightweight alternatives if you have many plugins that rely on jQuery. By doing these optimization techniques, you can eliminate unnecessary features and improve the website’s loading times.

Next, move to the JS options.

JS

• Defer JavaScript: Enable – It can fix render-blocking JavaScript.
• Delay JavaScript: Enable – This option delays JavaScript code and gives you optimal performance. When you use third-party advertising networks like Google AdSense or Media.net ads, I highly recommend delaying the JavaScript execution. The feature will also help you with Google Maps optimization.
• Delay behavior: Delay all Scripts – Delaying all scripts would be the best option. From the same settings, you can exclude some theme-specific JS features. When you get some error on the front end, excluding only specific JS files would be the best choice.
• Delay timeout: 10 seconds – Perfmatters recommends 10 seconds delay time as the best option.

If you choose the delay-only specific scripts option, enter these values in the box and save the settings.

ga( '
ga('
google-analytics.com/analytics.js
analytics.js
gtagv4.js
analytics-minimal.js
/gtm.js
/gtag/js
gtag(
/gtm-
adsbygoogle.js
fbevents.js
fbq(
/busting/facebook-tracking/

CSS

• Remove unused CSS: Enable – To optimize the website, you should remove unused CSS. Most WordPress caching plugins like WP Rocket come with this feature. But instead of using WP Rocket’s CSS removing feature, I recommend using Perfmatters. On the other hand, if you use FlyingPress, it is okay. You can use FlyingPress’s unused CSS removing option.
• Used CSS method: File – The file method is better if you care about the user experience.
• Stylesheet behavior: Remove – Removing is the ideal option. But sometimes, it can break your website. So, ensure the website runs fine in the front end after finalizing the settings.
• Clear unused CSS: If you have made changes to the styling without seeing them, use this feature.

Preloading Settings

Here are the preloading settings I use and recommend:

• Enable instant page: Enable – When the visitors hover the mouse over links, the page will get downloaded instantly. Hence, when they click, the page will be served immediately. To increase the user experience, this is a good option.
• Preload: You can preload multiple files like documents, audio, embed, font, image, object, track, etc. You need to mention the file path and select the type. Once you are done, save the settings.
• Preload critical images: 2-3 images – To preload the above-the-fold photos, use this feature.
• Preconnect: Enter the domain names – You can add the CDN and third-party custom font URLs in this field. Most caching plugins like WP Rocket come with this feature. So, use only one tool for domain preconnecting.
• DNS prefetch: Enter the domain names – If your website calls third-party domains for files such as Google Ads or Media.net ads, you should add these domains to the DNS prefetching option.

Lazy Loading Settings

Lazy Loading is an excellent way to improve the load time of images. I have enabled the lazy load images option on all of my websites. Here are the settings I recommend:

• Images: Enable – This is the first thing you must do in the lazy loading settings. Once enabled, all the photos will be optimized with the lazy loading technology.
• iFrames and Videos: Enable – Apart from images, you can also enable lazy loading for images and iFrames. Highly recommended, so turn it on.
• YouTube preview thumbnails: Enable – Instead of displaying the YouTube media player, we can replace it with a preview thumbnail. It is a best practice to get the optimal performance.
• Exclude from lazy loading: Optional – If you need to exclude specific images from lazy loading, use this option. You can enter the file’s name (one per line) to exclude them from using the lazy loading technology.
• Threshold: 0px – For a better scrolling experience, use 0px as the threshold.
• DOM monitoring: Disable – If you are not using infinite scrolling, disable it.
• Add missing image dimensions: Disable – Most WordPress caching plugins can do this. Hence, you can disable this option in Perfmatters settings. If your cache plugin doesn’t come with this feature and you need to add the correct image dimensions, enable it.
• Fade in: Enable – It is an effect you see while the images are loading up. It is highly recommended.
• CSS Background images: Enable – Instead of allowing page builder plugins to call background images right through the CSS file, Perfmatters can do this via HTML – it can speed up the process and optimize the images.

Fonts Settings

Optimizing the font’s delivery will help you improve the page speed. Perfmatters comes with a dedicated fonts option. Here are the best perfmatters settings you can use for the task.

• Local Google Fonts: Enable – Fetching Google Fonts from the external server will result in additional HTTP requests and can affect performance. Enable this feature to host all the Google Fonts you use inside your server or a CDN. This way, you can reduce the server load.
• Display Swap: Enable – To add the font-display: swap property to your CSS, enable this option. Adding this CSS property will help you improve the core web vitals.
• CDN URL: Optional – If you use a CDN for your website and the fonts serve through the CDN, enter the URL here. This is an optional setting. If you do not have a dedicated CDN path, leave this setting empty.
• Clear Local Fonts: Optional – This option removes all the existing fonts and stylesheets from your local server. You do not need to use this feature often. When there are any issues with the fonts or stylesheets, I recommend clearing the local fonts.
• Disable Local Fonts: Optional – If you are not using Google Fonts on your website and using system fonts for maximum performance, you can disable Google Fonts through the Perfmatters settings. Remember enabling this option will disable Google Fonts from your entire website. I recommend keeping this feature disabled.

CDN Settings

After configuring the font settings, move to the CDN section. CDN settings are easy to configure and won’t take much time. Here are the settings you need to configure.

• CDN rewrites: Enable – If you use a CDN on your website, enable this option.
• CDN URL: Enter the URL – In this space, enter the URL of the CDN.
• Included directories: Mention the folders – If you need to add custom folders to the CDN, use this field. By default, the Perfmatters plugin will add wp-contents and wp-includes to the included directories list. If you do not have any custom folders to include, leave this setting empty.
• CDN exclusions: Mention file extensions – This option excludes specific file types from CDN. You can add .php and .xml in the field.

Once you are done with the CDN settings, move to the next one, analytics.

Analytics Settings

Google Analytics is a great tool to understand your visitor’s behavior and how they interact with your website. Here are the ideal Perfmatters settings to optimize the Google Analytics integration.

• Enable local Analytics: Enable – This is the main configuration option you need to enable. Enabling this will help you host Google Analytics locally on your server, reducing third-party HTTP requests.
• Tracking ID: Enter Your Unique ID – Once you have enabled the local Analytics feature, enter your tracking ID here. This is how you can host Analytics locally on your server.
• Tracking code position: Header – Do you want to improve your website’s loading times? You can load the analytics script in the header or footer. The placement won’t affect the performance or tracking.
• Script type: analytics.js or minimal – Choosing the analytics.js or minimal script would be feasible if you prefer a quick speed boost. These scripts will disable certain data from the Analytics. The main GA script is heavy. Hence, disable scripts/ remove unnecessary scripts to make your website load faster.
• Disable display features: Enable – You must use Page Speed Insights to check for additional requests to DoubleClick. If there are HTTP requests to DoubleClick, enable this option.
• Anonymize IP: Enable – To comply with GDPR (in some countries), enable this option. This option will help you shorten the IP address.
• Track logged-in admins: Disable – When you log in as admin, you will be visiting multiple pages in the front end. Keeping it disabled will help you get more accurate data (focusing only on third-party visitors).
• Adjusted bounce rate: 30 – When a visitor stays at least 30 seconds and leaves, Google Analytics won’t consider it a bounce. This is highly recommended.
• Use MonsterInsights: Optional – If you use the MonsterInsights plugin to host Google Analytics locally, enable this option. Otherwise, keep it disabled.
• Enable AMP support: Disable – I won’t recommend using AMP. So, turn it off. You can enable this option if you are using AMP on your website.

Next is the database settings.

Database Settings

Perfmatters doesn’t have many database optimization settings. With the plugin, you can modify the post revisions and autosave interval.

Here are the settings I recommend:

• Limit post revisions: 3 or 4 – It is recommended to keep at least three revisions if you are handling a content blog. Otherwise, you can entirely disable the post revisions.
• Autosave interval: 5 Minutes – The autosave interval is 1 minute by default. But I use 5 minutes for all my websites.

For optimizing your WordPress database, I recommend using the WP-Optimize plugin. With the tool, you can optimize every inch of your database and clean it thoroughly.

That’s it!

If you use these settings on your website, you can spot a quick improvement in the overall website’s performance.

Perfmatters Configuration with Popular 3 Caching Plugins

This section will show you the Perfmatters plugin configuration you can do with three popular caching plugins.

The caching plugins I am going to use are:

• WP Rocket
• FlyingPress
• LiteSpeed Cache

Let’s see how to configure the plugin for the best results without any further ado.

Configure Perfmatters with WP Rocket

While using it with WP Rocket, the Perfmatters duplicate options you can disable are:

• Disable emojis
• Heartbeat Control
• Defer JS
• Delay JS
• Remove unused CSS
• Links preloading
• Preconnect
• DNS prefetch
• Lazy loading for images, videos, and iFrames
• Adding missing image dimensions
• Font-display: swap
• Database optimization

Instead, use these Perfmatters options:

• Every other option other than heartbeat control and emojis
• Script manager
• Preloading CSS
• Preloading JS
• Preloading every other file
• CSS background images
• Hosting Google Fonts locally
• Hosting Google Analytics locally

Configure Perfmatters with FlyingPress

While you use FlyingPress, disable these Perfmatters options:

• Emojis
• Delay JS
• Defer JS
• Remove unused CSS
• Links preloading
• Lazy loading images, videos, or iFrames
• Preloading critical images
• CSS background images
• Add missing image dimensions
• Preconnect CDN URL
• Database optimization
• Hosting Google Fonts locally
• Font-display: swap

Next, use these Perfmatters options:

• Every other option in the General settings
• Script manager
• CSS preloading
• JS preloading
• Every other file preloading
• Hosting Analytics locally
• Econnect third-party fonts

Configure Perfmatters with LiteSpeed Cache

If you are a LiteSpeed cache user, disable these Perfmatters options:

• Disable emojis
• Delay JS
• Defer JS
• Remove unused CSS
• DNS prefetch
• Lazy loading images, videos, and iFrames
• Add missing image dimensions
• Links preloading
• Preconnecting Google fonts
• Excluding above-the-fold images from lazy loading
• Database optimization
• Hosting Google Fonts and Analytics locally
• Font-display: swap

Now, you can enable these options and improve the speed:

• Script manager
• CSS background images
• Preload CSS
• Preload JS
• Preload any other files
• All the other general settings (except duplicate options)

Conclusion

Perfmatters is a great WordPress plugin. I use and highly recommend the tool. With the suitable Perfmatters settings, you can seamlessly improve the website’s overall speed.

In this guide, we have explained the ideal Perfmatters configuration options to speed up the overall website. You do not need to use third-party codes for the tasks. With a few mouse clicks, you can improve the page speed.

Have you tweaked your Perfmatters settings?

Let me know in the comments.