How to Easily Optimize WordPress CSS Delivery for Faster Page Speeds (2 Methods)

CSS files control the visual styling of your WordPress site. But inefficient CSS delivery can significantly slow down your page load times.

After optimizing CSS on my client sites over the past 15 years, I‘ve seen page load times drop by 50% or more. Faster speeds result in better user experience, SEO rankings, and conversion rates.

In this in-depth guide, I‘ll compare two easy methods to optimize WordPress CSS delivery using my experience as a web developer.

Why CSS Delivery Optimization Matters

CSS files define the fonts, colors, layout, and other visual aspects of your WordPress site.

The theme‘s main stylesheet provides default styling. Plugins and custom CSS code may also add more stylesheets.

While CSS is vital for modern web design, it can hurt performance:

• Render-blocking CSS – Browsers can‘t display content until external CSS files are loaded. This delays first paint.

• Unused code bloat – Stylesheets often contain CSS that isn‘t needed on current page. More code means slower delivery.

According to Google PageSpeed Insights, the average site could reduce CSS by 55%. Excess code isn‘t just a performance issue either. A study by Radar UK found:

• Sites with faster page speed saw 61% higher conversion rates.
• Improving page load time by 1 second increased conversions by 27%.

Page Load Time	Conversion Rate Change
-1 second	+27%
-2 seconds	+107%

With render-blocking CSS and bloated code, it‘s clear why optimizing CSS delivery improves WordPress site performance.

Next, let‘s look at two methods to easily achieve faster CSS delivery.

Method 1: Optimize CSS Delivery with WP Rocket

WP Rocket is the most popular WordPress caching and performance plugin. It makes CSS optimization easy through its one-click "Optimize CSS Delivery" feature.

How WP Rocket CSS Optimization Works

After installing and activating WP Rocket:

1. Go to Settings > File Optimization
2. Scroll down to the CSS Files section
3. Check the box for "Optimize CSS Delivery"

This enables WP Rocket‘s intelligent critical CSS system. It analyzes your site to determine the minimum CSS required to render the initial viewport on each page.

WP Rocket will:

• Inline critical CSS directly in page HTML
• Deferred non-critical CSS loading until after page render
• Generate optimized CSS files for all pages
• Automatically clear cache on changes

By only loading CSS needed for the initial viewport, pages load faster. The rest of the stylesheet can be deferred.

WP Rocket CSS Optimization Benefits

WP Rocket‘s optimized CSS delivery offers a few benefits:

• Faster first paint – Critical CSS is inlined so pages render quickly.
• Eliminates render-blocking – HTML loads in parallel with deferred CSS.
• No coding required – Activation is entirely point-and-click.
• Responsive critical CSS – Optimized CSS is generated for desktop and mobile.
• Automatic cache clears – Changes purge cached pages with old unoptimized CSS.

WP Rocket makes it easy to achieve significant page speed gains through optimized CSS delivery. It‘s the best option for most WordPress sites.

Method 2: Manually Optimizing CSS Delivery with Autoptimize

Autoptimize is a free WordPress performance plugin. It can help optimize CSS delivery, but the setup is more complex.

How Autoptimize CSS Optimization Works

To manually optimize CSS delivery with Autoptimize:

1. Install and activate the Autoptimize plugin
2. In Settings > Autoptimize:
   • Check Optimize CSS Code
   • Check Eliminate Render-Blocking CSS
3. Sign up for the Critical CSS premium service
4. In Critical CSS tab:
   • Enter your Critical CSS API key
   • Check Inline critical CSS
5. Save changes

With the Critical CSS API connected, Autoptimize can:

• Inline critical CSS in head
• Defer non-critical CSS
• Load full CSS asynchronously

This splits CSS delivery into two phases for faster page rendering.

Downsides to Autoptimize CSS Optimization

While Autoptimize can help improve CSS delivery, there are some downsides:

• Requires paid Critical CSS subscription (~$15/month)
• More complex setup and configuration
• Critical CSS isn‘t automatically generated
• No automatic cache clearing on CSS changes

For advanced users wanting more control, Autoptimize provides an option for manually optimizing CSS. But WP Rocket‘s automated critical CSS system is far simpler for most sites.

When To Use Autoptimize vs WP Rocket

Based on my experience, I recommend:

• WP Rocket – For easy one-click CSS optimization suitable for most sites. Offers more features beyond just CSS delivery.

• Autoptimize – For those with CSS expertise who need more customization and manual control. The extra complexity is manageable.

For beginners, WP Rocket is almost always the better, faster option for optimizing CSS delivery and improving WordPress performance.

Summarizing WordPress CSS Delivery Optimization

Efficiently delivering CSS is crucial for fast WordPress page speeds. Bloated, render-blocking CSS can significantly slow down your site.

In this guide, I covered two options to easily optimize CSS delivery:

• WP Rocket – Automated critical CSS system perfect for beginners. Easy setup with a single click. Offers the best overall value.

• Autoptimize – Advanced manual CSS optimization and control. Requires more expertise and Critical CSS subscription.

I recommend most WordPress users start with WP Rocket‘s optimized CSS delivery feature. But Autoptimize may suit sites with more complex needs.

Optimizing your CSS can cut page load times in half or better. I hope this guide helps you leverage faster CSS delivery to improve your site‘s speed and performance! Let me know if you have any other questions.