Optimizing Elementor Editor for Large Content Pages in WordPress

Executive Summary

This case study addresses the challenges faced in loading large content in the Elementor editor for WordPress pages and details the solutions implemented to improve the speed and performance of the wp-admin panel. Key solutions included creating an Elementor widget to render multiple Elementor templates on a single page, optimizing font loading times, and replacing external SVG icons with Elementor default icons.

Background

WordPress: As a leading content management system, WordPress powers millions of websites globally. It is renowned for its flexibility and extensibility, largely through plugins which can add a wide range of functionalities.
Elementor: Elementor is a popular WordPress page builder known for its drag-and-drop functionality and real-time editing capabilities. However, it can encounter performance issues when handling pages with large amounts of content.
Objective: The primary goal was to enhance the performance of the Elementor editor, ensuring smooth and efficient handling of large content pages.

Problem Statement:

Users reported significant delays and performance issues when loading pages with large content in the Elementor editor. The slow loading times and sluggish performance impacted the productivity and user experience of content creators and site administrators.

Solutions Implemented

1. Creating an Elementor Widget to Render Multiple Templates

Challenge: Large pages often included numerous Elementor templates, which individually loaded multiple times, causing slow performance.

Solution: Developed a custom Elementor widget that consolidates and renders multiple Elementor templates within a single page.

Implementation:

Widget Development: Created a custom widget using Elementor’s API that allows users to select and load multiple templates.
Performance Optimization: Combined template rendering processes to reduce the number of individual loading operations, significantly improving page load times.
Benefits: This approach reduced server requests and processing time, leading to faster load times and a more responsive editor.

2. Optimizing Elementor Font Loading Time

Challenge: Fonts used by Elementor were contributing to the slow loading times due to multiple HTTP requests.

Solution: Optimized font loading by preloading essential fonts and deferring non-critical font requests.

Implementation:

Preloading Fonts: Identified key fonts and implemented font preloading to ensure they are available immediately upon page load.
Deferred Loading: Deferred loading of non-critical fonts until after the initial page load, reducing the initial loading time.
Benefits: Improved overall speed and performance of the Elementor editor, enhancing user experience.

3. Replacing External SVG Icons with Elementor Default Icons

Challenge: The use of external SVG icons added additional HTTP requests and load times, impacting performance.

Solution: Replaced external SVG icons with Elementor’s built-in default icons.

Implementation:

Icon Replacement: Reviewed and replaced external SVG icons with equivalent Elementor default icons within the editor.
Reducing HTTP Requests: Eliminated the need for external icon file requests, reducing the overall number of HTTP requests.
Benefits: Decreased page load times and improved editor responsiveness by using optimized, built-in resources.

Results

Performance Improvement Metrics:

Load Time Reduction: The custom widget and optimizations led to a significant reduction in page load times within the Elementor editor.
Enhanced User Experience: Users experienced smoother and faster interactions with the Elementor editor, especially on pages with large content.
Server Efficiency: Reduced server load and HTTP requests, leading to better resource utilization and faster page rendering.

Conclusion/Future Scope

The implemented solutions successfully addressed the performance issues faced when loading large content pages in the Elementor editor. By creating a custom widget to render multiple templates, optimizing font loading times, and replacing external SVG icons with Elementor default icons, we achieved significant improvements in load times and overall performance.

Continuous Monitoring and Optimization: Regularly monitor performance metrics to identify and address new bottlenecks.
Implement further optimizations based on user feedback and technological advancements.

Advanced Caching Mechanisms: Explore advanced caching techniques to further reduce load times and improve performance.
Utilize server-side caching and content delivery networks (CDNs) for enhanced speed.

User Training and Support: Provide comprehensive training and support for users to maximize the benefits of the optimizations.
Offer documentation and tutorials on best practices for managing large content in Elementor.