Creating a feature-rich website for your business is just half the work done as you need to ensure that it scores well on the performance front too. So if you have launched a Drupal website but are still struggling to optimize its performance or there are some performance issues with your running site, you are likely to be in fix. Poor performance is the major reason of high bounce rate and abandonment because users are not willing to compromise with experience. The best option, therefore, will be to Hire Drupal Developer to handle performance dips as soon as you notice them. At the same time, you need to be aware of all that can be done to address these issues.
Fortunately, Drupal offers an array of contributed modules which care capable of handling the performance issues that your website may encounter. Here are some of the tried and tested Drupal modules that can be relied upon to boost a website’s performance.
Fast 404:- By default, Drupal tends to consume a lot of memory when it shows a ‘Page not found’ page, which is one of the main reasons of its sluggishness. This happens because the CMS performs full bootstrap, loading the entire modules and referencing the database. The Fast 404 module brings significant reduction in server load and also renders a 404 page in minimal time without performing a full bootstrap. An average of 1 MB is all it takes for Fast 404 to do its job!
Boost:- Drupal core offers the option of content caching for anonymous users. But the challenge is that it still needs PHP and partial Drupal bootstrap. Boost module serves as the best remedy to overcome this challenge. It teams with Apache Web Server to cache the content for anonymous users, thus enhancing the page loading speed to a significant extent.
Advanced CSS/JS Aggregation:- Another powerful module that addresses the performance-related challenges for Drupal websites is the Advanced CSS/JS Aggregation module. As the name suggests, it aggregates the CSS/JS files to reduce the HTTP calls from browser to server. Although Drupal core offers the same feature, this module is far better at it.
Performance:- The name itself speaks a lot about the capability of this module to improve the performance of your business website. Performance works by helping you restrict the amount of logging for your site, as active logging is one of the main reasons of underperforming. Furthermore, the module even allows you to disable logging if needed.
Shadow:- Database usually acts as the bottleneck on a majority of sites encountering performance issues. Queries that are not optimized can, in fact, significantly cause the page load times to increase. Therefore, you need to ensure that the database is managed and maintained with optimized queries. The Shadow enables optimization of SQL queries by creating index tables which replicate the original query output.
ImageAPI Optimize:- One of the key parameters that have a negative impact on any website’s performance is the lack of image optimization as such images can mercilessly increase the loading time of the pages. Designers work on optimizing images, but the main challenge is to retain their quality while reducing the size. The Image API Optimize module resolves this challenge by enabling image optimization without hampering their quality and integrity.
Image Lazyloader:- Like Image API Optimize module, Image Lazyloader also assists in image optimization, though it does so by loading the images as and when they come within the user’s view. It works wonders for websites with multiple images and loads them faster than before.
Views Litepager:- Drupal 7 websites typically use InnoDB engine for powering their MySQL databases. Since the total count of rows is not stored by InnoDB, a COUNT query puts the additional work of counting this number on MySQL. Consequently, COUNT queries can be slow with InnoDB tables. This module providers a pager option which sidelines the need for COUNT queries. Large Drupal sites with high volumes of content should use this module.
Imageinfo Cache:- Conventionally, the image styles in Drupal are created after receiving a request, which leads to delayed page loading. But Imageinfo Cache can resolve this issue by creating image styles right after it is uploaded.
Picture:- Being responsive is the key to success and you need to ensure performance along with responsiveness. This module creates responsive images which are are loaded fast and seamlessly even on small screens; this saves bandwidth and reduces the page load time as well, regardless of the device being used to access the website.
Conclusion:- While you can use any of these ready modules to speed up your site’s performance, there is also the option of Drupal Module Development to explore. You can discuss your specific challenges with a platform expert and have a custom module to resolve them in case none of the ready made one’s work.
At Drupal India, we are a leading Drupal Development Company that offers a range of services, from Drupal upgrade, to migration, optimization, maintenance and support, and more. We specialized in creating websites that excel in design and performance. Connect with us with your requirements and we will have a solution that fulfills them.
