What Causes Slow Blog Speeds? A Performance Analysis

The blog is hosted on a Hong Kong server. While not as fast as some domestic servers, the speed is acceptable. Recently, to optimize the blog's performance, I analyzed the code and tools to identify areas where the XiaoZ blog's access speed was unsatisfactory.

1. Weibo Widget Tool

This tool severely slowed down my website. I explained the reasons in a previous post, I Finally Gave Up Using the Weibo Widget Tool, and have since removed it.

2. Duoshuo Comments

This social commenting system is quite useful with many features, but it occasionally loads slowly. Later, I replaced Duoshuo's JS files with Qiniu Cloud Storage, but the improvement was not significant. However, to ensure visitors receive timely notifications and to prevent spam comments, I continued using it. Additionally, the interface looks more comfortable than the theme's built-in comments.

3. Baidu Share Buttons

Code analysis showed that Baidu calls JS files, but only when visiting article pages, so the impact is minimal. I continue using it.

4. Google Fonts

Since WordPress version 3.8, the backend calls fonts from Google. Some Chinese themes also call JS files. I resolved this issue using the method described in Several Ways to Solve Google Font Loading on WordPress Sites.

5. CNZZ Website Statistics

Everyone is familiar with this tool, and many friends use it. However, analysis showed that it generates too many requests, slowing down the website. If a browser has an ad-blocking extension installed, this feature won't display.

One day, I had a sudden idea: manually adding the link to the bottom of the website would be convenient. However, I encountered a problem: every time I clicked the CNZZ statistics link at the bottom, the IP and PV counts did not change. After struggling with the issue, I realized that simply adding a quick access link was useless because removing the code prevented CNZZ from accessing the website content to complete the statistics.无奈, I had to add the code back. I hope CNZZ improves by reducing request counts and enhancing speed.

6. Other Plugins

Using certain plugins increases the number of requests. The solution is to use code for tasks whenever possible instead of plugins, or to merge JS and CSS files (I merged them when I had time).