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Optimize and Improve Osclass Load Speed

Improve Osclass Load Speed

Introduction

Site speed is a crucial factor that determines the success of a classifieds website. By default, Osclass is not well optimized, and themes and plugins can make it even harder. However, improving Osclass load speed is worth the effort, as search engines like Google consider website speed in rankings.

Optimizing Hosting

Choosing the right hosting provider is the first step in optimizing Osclass performance. Consider the following:

  • Avoid cheap hosting; a good Osclass hosting plan should cost around $50, depending on region and services.
  • Use PHP 7 or higher for faster script execution.
  • Run your database on MySQL 5.7 or higher for better query performance.
  • Ensure your hosting provider offers Memcache for caching SQL queries.
  • Choose a regional hosting provider close to your target audience to reduce latency.
  • Look for hosting that provides automatic backups of both the database and the file system.

If your hosting supports Memcache, add the following to your config.php:

define('OSC_CACHE', 'memcache');
$_cache_config[] = array('default_host' => '127.0.0.1', 'default_port' => 11211, 'default_weight' => 1);

Using an SSL Certificate

SSL (HTTPS) not only secures user data but also improves website speed by enabling HTTP/2, which enhances loading times. Many hosting providers offer free SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt.

After enabling SSL, enforce HTTPS in .htaccess with:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
</IfModule>

Optimizing .htaccess Configuration

The .htaccess file can optimize performance by enabling compression, browser caching, and redirecting HTTP to HTTPS.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{SERVER_PORT} ^80$
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{SERVER_NAME}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R]

<FilesMatch "\.(ico|pdf|flv|jpg|jpeg|png|gif|js|css|swf)$">
Header set Cache-Control "max-age=604800, public"
</FilesMatch>

Optimizing Osclass Image Sizes

Go to Oc-admin > Settings > Media and set optimized image sizes:

  • Thumbnails: 360x240 px
  • Preview: 480x360 px
  • Normal: 800x600 px

After changing image sizes, regenerate images to apply the changes. Increase PHP execution time to 600 seconds to handle large batches of images.

Optimizing Theme and Plugins

Reduce CSS and JavaScript files by merging them manually or using Osclass optimization settings:

  • Analyze active plugins and remove unnecessary CSS/JS files.
  • Merge all CSS files into a single stylesheet.
  • Combine all JavaScript files into a single script file.

Enable CSS/JS minification in Oc-admin > Settings > Optimization to further improve loading speeds.

Using a CDN

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) reduces load time by delivering static files from a global network of servers. Popular options include Cloudflare, AWS CloudFront, and KeyCDN.

Using Cache Plugins

Cache plugins store pre-generated HTML files to reduce server processing time. Consider using Osclass Cache Plugin to cache frequently accessed pages and speed up content delivery.

Summary

Tools like Google PageSpeed and Pingdom can help analyze and optimize your Osclass website. The ultimate goal is to reduce load time to under 1.5 seconds to improve both user experience and SEO rankings.