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WordPress 201

Howdy!
My name is Jason Cosper.
I work for
Today, I'm going to teach you how to do some stuff.
Like improve your site's performance.
And make it more secure.
So let's get started...
Performance
How do we reduce load time?

Methods for Reducing Load Time

We'll go ahead & begin with caching...
ALWAYS BE CACHING

Page Caching Plugins

WP Super Cache vs. W3 Total Cache

Browser Caching

I've adapted a set of .htaccess rules from HTML5 Boilerplate for this.

There's no need to reinvent the wheel, right?

Now, let's tighten up those images...
Fun with(out) Photoshop

Compress Your Images Locally

Compress Images on Your Site

Load Images As They're Needed

Finally, let's cut the fat on your CSS & JavaScript...
gzip it!

Compressing Your CSS and JavaScript

Okay, that covers performance.
Now, let's focus on security.
But first, we'll cleanse our palate with a video.
Security
How can we lock WordPress down?

Methods for Securing WordPress

How about we start with blocking attacks at the server level?
The ol' bob & weave
Who's already using a plugin?
Here's why that's not such a great idea...

Blocking Without Plugins

Okay. Now let's chat about insulating your admin area...
Protect ya neck, kid
So, we want to keep unauthorized people from getting into your admin area.
But we also want to not be annoying to the site's contributors, right?

The Programable Bouncers

Note: Enabling all of these at once can make logging in an ordeal.
Let's finish this out with a conversation about updates...
Updating: Not just for weekends anymore
According to WPsecure, there were 186 exploits for WordPress and its plugins in 2011.
"But it's such a pain to stay on top of plugin updates!"
You know what's an even bigger pain? Cleaning up a hacked site.
Getting an email reminder though? That's no pain at all.

Update Reminders

And that covers security.
Questions?
That's it! Thanks for hanging out.