W3 Total Cache

Turning on caching of some sort is a near inevitable rite of passage for every successful WordPress site owner. By optimizing static file delivery, minifying assets and intelligently caching site content, you can make an enormous difference to your site’s loading speed and overall user experience. There are a number of great tools out there to help do this, but the standout candidate is W3 Total Cache.

W3 Total Cache has over 1 million active installs and promises at least a 10x improvement in overall site performance when fully configured – a payoff that’s not going to do your Google rankings any harm. It’s also trusted by heavyweight WordPress installs like ilovetypography.com, webdesignerdepot.com, andmashable.com, to name just a few.

W3 Total Cache is simple to get up and running with but has more than enough configuration options available to keep even the most technically advanced site performance enthusiast busy.

The full list of features is too long to list here, but you’ll be able to take advantage of browser caching, database object caching, CSS and JavaScript minification and much more. Excellent getting started guides are available on both WPBeginner and Tuts+.

2015 has seen this plugin continue to boom in popularity and brought improvements in stability and performance across the board. Notable new features include integration with Yoast SEO, additional support for MaxCDN and Cloudflare, and a raft of bugfixes and security improvements.

If you’re at all serious about site performance, integrating a caching solution is pretty much obligatory and W3 Total Cache remains the leading contender in 2015.