For a balanced, low‑risk configuration that benefits most sites, start with the following. In the Cache
module, enable caching for Images, Fonts, CSS, and JS. Set images and fonts to 180–365 days and CSS/JS
to 14–30 days. Add admin-ajax.php, feeds, and sitemaps to “Prevent cache.” In Minify,
enable HTML minify and CSS minify. Enable JS minify only after testing. Turn on Defer JS but keep “Skip
defer jQuery” enabled unless you’ve confirmed full compatibility with your theme and plugins.
Enable Lazy Loading for images, iframes, and videos, and exclude your hero image, header logo, and any
carousels at the top of the page. In Image Optimization, choose WebP, quality ~82, set max dimensions to
2560px, and turn on “convert on upload” and “optimize other sizes.” For Advanced options, enable Gzip if
your server doesn’t already handle compression, and leave “remove version info” off unless you have a
robust cache‑busting strategy. Consider Critical CSS if render‑blocking styles are your top bottleneck;
start with above‑the‑fold only and evaluate impact.
After applying these defaults, test key templates and run a performance audit. Then refine by adding
script exclusions, adjusting cache lifetimes, and expanding lazy load coverage as appropriate for your
content and audience.