Course Syllabus

for

The Official WpFASTER WordPress

Speed Optimization Course

I. INTRODUCTORY
SECTION 1: Introduction to the Official WpFASTER.org WordPress Speed
Optimization Course
Section Description:
Understand the critical nature of website speed; achieve a firm grasp of what will be learned & how
you will benefit; course-taking tips; the exact nature of the course; and, easy mobile optimization.
Lecture 1: Website Speed: How Much it Matters & Why "Fast Enough" Isn't

In this lecture learn why having the fastest possible version of your WordPress website is no
longer optional.

Lecture 3: Tips on How to Take the Course

I truly believe that this course makes learning everything one needs to know about
WordPress performance optimization as easy as it can possibly be. But this doesn't mean it's
easy! In this lecture I provide some tips, hints and tricks for you to maximize retention and
the practicing of the information.

Lecture 4: What the Course Is (& Is Not)

The course covers a lot of ground in the WordPress WPO (Web Performance Optimization)
and UX (User Experience) Optimization space; but, there are a few things that one should
know about what the course is not as well. This lecture will refine your understanding of
what you can (and should) expect from the course (and what you shouldn't).

Lecture 5: Remarks on Optimizing for Mobiles/Tablets (I.e. "High Latency" Devices)

It is an increasingly mobile world! This lecture swiftly deals with optimizing your WordPress
website for 'high latency devices' like mobile phones and tablets. With WordPress, it's so
easy that the "how-to" fits in a single lecture.

Lecture 6: Notes, Links, Supplemental Materials & Whatnot Addendum for Section 1

II. BEGIN THEORY

SECTION 2: The WpFASTER.org WordPress Speed/Performance Optimization
Foundation
Section Description:
By the end of this section you will be familiarized with the foundation of any properly constructed
WordPress Web Performance Optimization schema.
Lecture 7: Hosting Primer

This lecture covers why choosing the right host for your WordPress website is foundational
to the web performance architecture you will learn how to implement in future lectures.

Lecture 8: Compression Primer

Compression: What it is and why it is foundational to the WordPress web performance

architecture you will learn how to implement in future lectures.

Lecture 9: Minification (& Concatenation) Primer

Minification: What it is and why it is foundational to the WordPress web performance

architecture you will learn how to implement in future lectures.

Lecture 10: Reducing HTTP Requests Primer

Reducing the Number of HTTP Requests: What they are and why reducing them to as small
a number as possible is foundational to the WordPress web performance architecture you
will learn how to implement in future lectures.

Lecture 11: Image Optimization Primer

Image Optimization: What it is and why it is foundational to the WordPress web

performance architecture you will learn how to implement in future lectures.

Lecture 12: Eliminating Render-Blocking JavaScript & CSS in 'Above-the-Fold' Content Primer

Render Blocking CSS & JavaScript: What it is and why getting rid of it is foundational to the
WordPress web performance architecture you will learn how to implement in future lectures.

Lecture 13: Asynchronous Resources Primer

Asynchronous Resources: What they are and why they are foundational to the WordPress
web performance architecture you will learn how to implement in future lectures.

Lecture 14: Caching Primer

Caching: What it is and why it is foundational to the WordPress web performance

architecture you will learn how to implement in future lectures.

Lecture 15: Notes, Links, Supplemental Materials & Whatnot Addendum for Section 2

SECTION 3: Testing the Efficacy of Your Optimizations

Section Description:
Firmly grasp the importance of scientifically garnering accurate, objective website
speed/performance data and which readily available performance testing tools are best suited to
what.
Lecture 16: Prefatory Remarks on Website Speed Testing Tools & Metrics (Performance Data)

Website Speed Testing Tools: They're not all created equal. This lecture introduces you to the
differences between them, particularly the difference between "synthetic" testing tools and
"organic" testing tools: Which ones are best used for what; and, the best way to know what
our WordPress site's users are actually experiencing and under what circumstances they are
experiencing it.

Without accurate metrics, it's all guesswork; without accurate metrics, we have not proved
nor can we prove anything.

Lecture 17: Pingdom: What it's Good For & When to Use It
Lecture 18: GTmetrix: What it's Good For & When to Use It
Lecture 19: Google's PageSpeed Insights: What it's Good For & When to Use It
Lecture 20: WebPageTest: What it's Good For & When to Use It
Lecture 21: Notes, Links, Supplemental Materials & Whatnot Addendum for Section 3

SECTION 4: Sections 1 - 3 Recap & Remarks On Optimizing Your WordPress

Site's 'Core'
Section Description:
WOOT! Here we go! This section will (further) prepare you for the particularization of the Core
optimization modes, means, methods and techniques elaborated upon in sections 5 - 9.
Lecture 22: Sections 1 - 3 Recap & Prefatory Remarks on 'Core' Optimization

Recap of sections 1 - 3 & remarks on the optimization of your WordPress site's 'Core': What
that is, with the how-to's of Core Optimization following in sections 5 - 9.

III. END THEORY, BEGIN APPLICATION

SECTION 5: Caching
Section Description:
Achieve a comprehensive understanding of every effective form of caching available to you for
your WordPress site: What they are as well as when and how to use them.
Lecture 23: Caching: Prefatory Remarks

Prefatory remarks about caching.

Lecture 24: Page Caching How-To + Troubleshooting

Learn how to implement and optimize page caching for your WordPress site, as well as how
to mitigate general Page Caching issues.

Lecture 25: Browser Caching How-To + Troubleshooting

Learn how to implement and optimize browser caching for your WordPress site, as well as
how to mitigate general Browser Caching issues.

Lecture 26: Database & Object Caching How-To + Troubleshooting

Learn how to implement and optimize database and object caching for your WordPress site,
as well as how to mitigate general Database and Object Caching issues.

Lecture 27: Notes, Links, Supplemental Materials & Whatnot Addendum for Section 5

SECTION 6: Minification & Concatenation I

Section Description:
Apply and troubleshoot Minification & Concatenation for your WordPress site.
Lecture 28: Minification & Concatenation: Prefatory Remarks
Lecture 29: Minification & Concatenation How-To

How to implement Minification and Concatenation for your WordPress site.

Lecture 30: Troubleshooting Minification & Concatenation

Troubleshooting general issues that might arise while minifying and concatenating your
WordPress website.

Lecture 31: Notes, Links, Supplemental Materials & Whatnot Addendum for Section 6

SECTION 7: Minification & Concatenation II: The Render Blocking CSS &
JavaScript Conundrum
Section Description:
Achieve a comprehensive understanding of the Render Blocking CSS and JavaScript Conundrum &
how to overcome it.
Lecture 32: Solving the Render Blocking CSS Conundrum Part I: Inlining 'Above-the-Fold' CSS

How to solve problems with render blocking CSS via inlining the CSS required to render all
content that appears above-the-fold.

Lecture 33: Minification & Concatenation How-To

How to implement Minification and Concatenation for your WordPress site.

Lecture 34: Troubleshooting Minification & Concatenation

Troubleshooting general issues that might arise while minifying and concatenating your
WordPress website.

Lecture 35: Solving the Render Blocking JavaScript Conundrum in the Most Ideal Fashion

Solving the render blocking JavaScript conundrum with the "async" AND "defer" attributes
for cross-browser compatibility.

Lecture 36: Summary Remarks On Minification & the Render Blocking CSS & JavaScript Conundrum
Lecture 37: Notes, Links, Supplemental Materials & Whatnot Addendum for Section 7

SECTION 8: Image Optimization

Section Description:
Apply Image Optimization for your WordPress site.
Lecture 38: Image Optimization How-To

The application of image optimization on your WordPress site.

Lecture 39: Notes, Links, Supplemental Materials & Whatnot Addendum for Section 8

SECTION 9: Lazy Loading

Section Description:
Apply Lazy Loading for your WordPress site's images, thumbnails, gravatar images, iframes & text
widgets.
Lecture 40: Lazy Loading (Images, Thumbnails, Gravatars, iframes & Widgets) How-To

Learn and apply the multiple uses of lazy loading (i.e. delaying the loading of certain
content until that content is scrolled to) to reduce total page size as well as the total number

of HTTP requests.
Lecture 41: Notes, Links, Supplemental Materials & Whatnot Addendum for Section 9

SECTION 10: Advanced WordPress Optimizations: A Taste of the WpFASTER.org

Secret Sauce
Section Description:
Integrate highly refined, precision optimization structures into your Web Performance Optimization
schema to join the website speed elite.
Lecture 42: Prefatory Remarks About Advanced Optimizations
Lecture 43: Plugin Organization & Prioritization

Learn how to properly organize and prioritize plugins (i.e. manipulate which ones load when
and where) for significantly reduced file sizes and faster loading times for your WordPress
website.

Lecture 44: Browser Hinting

Browser hints: what they are and how to use them to maximize the speed of your
WordPress site.

Lecture 45: PushState + AJAX (PJAX)

Learn how to use PJAX to eliminate subsequent-page-load latency for INSTANT, page-topage navigation on your WordPress site.

Lecture 46: Cache Warming & Cron Jobs

Learn how to keep your WordPress site's cache perpetually fresh so that no one ever hits a
stale or uncached page on your WordPress website.

Lecture 47: Domain Sharding

Learn how to leverage domain sharding for quicker serving of your WordPress site's static
assets, like images and videos.

Lecture 48: Notes, Links, Supplemental Materials & Whatnot Addendum for Section 10

SECTION 11: 'Edge' Optimization: Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)

Section Description:
Understand the difference between the 'Core' and the 'Edge' & integrate Edge Optimization into
your Web Performance Optimization schema.
Lecture 49: Prefatory Remarks About Edge Optimization, CDNs & An Introduction to CloudFlare
Lecture 50: Installing CloudFlare
Lecture 51: Maximizing CloudFlare Settings
Lecture 52: Page Rules Pro-Tips
Lecture 53: Notes, Links, Supplemental Materials & Whatnot Addendum for Section 11

SECTION 12: BONUS: Server Optimizations

Section Description:
If you are feeling particularly rambunctious & have access to your server, you can tinker with this
intro to server-side performance enhancers.
Lecture 54: A Taste of Optimizing Your Server (For Those on VPS/Dedicated Servers). PDF.

SECTION 13: SPEED. YOU GOT SOME!

Lecture 55: It's Been Real, Yo: Closing Remarks