In its latest update, WordPress, version 6.4, brings exciting changes to how scripts load on your website’s front end. These changes are set to supercharge page load times and overall performance for many websites.
This update integrates script loading strategies into the core and bundled themes of WordPress, focusing on loading scripts with defer and async attributes. These attributes instruct web browsers to load scripts either in the background (async) or after the rest of the page has loaded (defer), resulting in significantly faster page interactivity.
So, what does this mean for website owners and visitors?
Faster Page Loads:
Before this update, JavaScript files within WordPress themes and plugins were loaded without any asynchronous specifications. This caused them to block other downloads, slowing down page rendering while they loaded.
With the new update, your WordPress website will load much faster for visitors. This especially improves the CWV’s first contentful paint (FCP) metric, making pages appear more swiftly.
How WordPress Achieved This:
To make this happen, WordPress has introduced the ‘defer’ attribute for JavaScript files used in various parts of the site, like navigation menus and embedded media. This attribute was not standardized before but is now part of WordPress 6.4. This update also moves most deferred scripts back into the <head> section to allow browsers to discover and cache them earlier, further boosting performance. Some less critical scripts, such as those for comment replies, remain in the footer but are loaded asynchronously with ‘async’ to load in parallel with other resources.
Real-World Impact:
For website visitors, the WordPress content they access will load faster post-update. They will notice fewer disruptions or “jank” as page elements won’t shift around after the page initially loads. These changes set the stage for even more optimizations in the future, promising even better website performance.
In essence, WordPress 6.4 introduces smarter script loading, ensuring that websites load faster and provide a smoother user experience. So, if you’re a WordPress website owner, updating to this latest version is a step towards a faster and more efficient online presence.
