How to Setup CloudFlare‘s Free CDN for WordPress: An Optimized Step-by-Step Guide

Hey there! I‘m going to show you how to setup and configure CloudFlare‘s excellent free CDN for your WordPress site.

With 15+ years as a webmaster, I‘ve used my share of CDNs and CloudFlare is one of the best solutions for small WordPress sites looking to improve speed.

This optimized guide will take you through the entire process from start to finish, along with my top tips for optimal performance. Let‘s get started!

What is a CDN and Why Does Your WordPress Site Need One?

A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a globally distributed network of servers that delivers your website‘s static files from locations closer to your visitors.

Here‘s a quick example…

Let‘s say your WordPress site is hosted in New York and you have a visitor from London trying to access your site.

Without a CDN, this visitor‘s request gets sent all the way to your New York server before they get a response. The result? Slow load times.

Now if you have a CDN, there will be an "edge" server located in or near London that caches static files from your origin server.

So when the London visitor requests your site, they hit the nearby CDN server which sends your files faster resulting in much improved load times.

Benefits of adding a CDN:

• Up to 4x faster load times – Serving visitors from edge locations reduces physical distance and latency. Studies show CDNs can improve load times by up to 800%.

• Improved site performance – CDNs ease the burden on your origin server by handling cached static files. This prevents overload and improves overall site performance.

• Better user experience – With faster load times, visitors spend less time waiting and have a smoother experience on your site. This can reduce bounce rates by up to 20%.

• Higher SEO rankings – Faster site speed improves metrics like Time to First Byte which directly impacts search rankings.

• Save on web hosting costs – You can save on your monthly web hosting bill by serving static files from the CDN network.

Clearly, adding a CDN provides significant speed and performance benefits especially for WordPress sites with visitors from around the world.

Why Choose CloudFlare‘s Free CDN for WordPress?

There are many CDN providers out there both free and paid. So why choose CloudFlare?

A few key reasons:

• Global network – CloudFlare has over 275+ data centers around the world. This means content will be served incredibly fast to your visitors regardless of location.

• Generous free plan – CloudFlare‘s free CDN has unlimited bandwidth, which is rare for a free CDN. Paid CDNs can cost anywhere from $10 to hundreds of dollars per month.

• Easy setup – It‘s straightforward and simple to setup CloudFlare‘s CDN requiring just DNS changes. You don‘t need change your hosting or do complex configurations.

• Performance optimization – Out of the box, CloudFlare provides optimization features like smart routing, caching, compression, and more to speed up your site.

• Security – In addition to CDN, you get basic DDoS protection, firewall, and other security tools with the free plan.

• Reliability – CloudFlare powers millions of sites with an uptime of 100% across their network. Their CDN service is extremely reliable.

• Expert support – As CloudFlare is designed for non-technical users, they provide exceptional 24/7 online chat support in case you need help.

Clearly, CloudFlare offers the complete package when it comes to an easy-to-use and featurerich free CDN perfect for WordPress sites.

Next, let‘s go through step-by-step how to setup CloudFlare‘s CDN on your WordPress site.

Step 1 – Signing Up for a CloudFlare Account

First, you need to create a free CloudFlare account here.

The signup process is straightforward:

1. Enter your email address and choose a password
2. Check your email for the confirmation link
3. Click the confirmation link to complete signup

Once confirmed, you will be logged into the CloudFlare dashboard. This is where you‘ll manage all your CloudFlare settings.

Step 2 – Adding Your WordPress Site

From the CloudFlare dashboard, click the "Add Site" button.

Under domain name, enter your root domain (example.com).

And select the free plan when prompted.

Leave "Automatically fetch current DNS settings" checked for CloudFlare to import your current nameservers and DNS records.

Then click "Continue".

On the next page, CloudFlare will show all the DNS records it imported from your domain.

Locate the DNS record for your root domain and make sure it has an orange cloud icon indicating active CloudFlare services.

If you want to selectively disable CloudFlare for any subdomain, click the gray cloud icon to change it.

With your root domain enabled, click "Continue" again. We‘re making great progress!

Step 3 – Migrating Your Nameservers to CloudFlare

Here comes the most important part – migrating your nameservers over to CloudFlare.

The CloudFlare nameservers are what route your traffic through CloudFlare‘s CDN network.

On the next page, click on "Automatic" to let CloudFlare automatically change your nameservers for you. Very handy!

Alternatively, you can click "Manual", copy CloudFlare‘s nameservers, and update them through your domain registrar:

tony.ns.cloudflare.com
jane.ns.cloudflare.com 

Note: The nameserver change can take 30-60 minutes to fully update across the internet. Your site may be temporarily down for some visitors during this time. Totally normal!

Once the nameserver migration is complete, CloudFlare will show a success message indicating your site is now active on CloudFlare‘s CDN. Exciting!

Step 4 – Configuring Recommended Settings for Optimal Performance

We‘re in the home stretch now! While CloudFlare works out of the box, I wanted to share some important recommended settings you should configure:

1. Set SSL/TLS mode to Full (Strict)

Navigate to SSL/TLS > Encryption mode in the CloudFlare dashboard.

Set the encryption mode to "Full (Strict)". This enables end-to-end SSL encryption for maximum security.

2. Add a Page Rule to cache static WordPress files

Add a page rule to cache static css, js, and image files for 1 month:

URL Pattern: *.css, *.js, *.png, *.jpg, *.jpeg, *.gif, *.ico

Cache Level: Cache Everything 
Browser Cache Expiration: 1 month

3. Install WordPress plugin to force HTTPS

Install the Really Simple SSL plugin and enable "Redirect HTTP Traffic to HTTPS" in settings.

This will force all traffic over HTTPS for optimal security.

4. Enable Auto Minify to compress text files

Navigate to Speed > Optimization and enable Auto Minify. This will compress your CSS/JS files for faster delivery.

And that‘s it! With these additional tweaks, your WordPress site is optimized to use CloudFlare‘s CDN at peak performance.

Conclusion: Your WordPress Site is Now Blazing Fast!

Congrats my friend! You have successfully setup and configured CloudFlare‘s excellent free CDN for your WordPress site.

With these optimized settings, your site should load significantly faster for all your visitors regardless of their location.

Faster load times result in better user experience, higher conversions, improved SEO, and lower hosting costs. It‘s a win-win all around!

I hope this step-by-step guide was helpful. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions. Just want your WordPress site to be as fast as possible.

Keep on rocking!