In today’s fast-paced world, it’s not enough for your business to simply have an online presence. You need to make sure your website is fast, and it is quick to respond to visitor interactions. One way to make sure your content is loading as fast as possible is to use a CDN for your WordPress website.
The term CDN stands for content delivery network. Content delivery networks first hit the scene in the late ‘90s, and, when designed correctly, they’re still a surefire way to make sure your website works well for users, no matter where they are.
Benefits of Using a CDN
Simply put, CDNs are a connected network of servers spread out across a geographical location. When users around the world try to access your site’s data, the CDN coordinates the data delivery based on the nearest available server.
Because a CDN uses an algorithm to determine the best server rather than simply using geographic location, it ensures your users get a fast experience. If the closest geographical server doesn’t have the capacity, a CDN automatically locates one that does.
While the primary benefit of using a CDN is improved website performance, there are several additional benefits that you can gain:
- Improved Performance – People want to be able to click on anything on your website and get instant access to the information. A CDN helps make this happen by keeping a cache of the most popular content on your website. This ensures it’s always available for visitors.
- Minimized Network Congestion – Conventional content delivery carries the risk of bottlenecking. This term refers to a situation where a single factor hinders overall performance. A CDN is specifically designed to handle this issue.
- SEO Boost – One thing search engines look at is the loading speed of a page. This is because the goal of the search engine is to provide the best possible user experience. Search engines also track how long a person stays on a page. When a website visitor leaves because they need to wait for more than a few seconds for a page to load, this sends a negative signal to search engines.
- Ability to Handle Traffic Surges – You want a post to go viral, but what happens when it does, and you suddenly get a huge influx of traffic? In some cases, large traffic surges can cause a website to crash. When you have a CDN in place, your content is distributed throughout a number of servers around the world. By balancing the load, every person trying to look at your site will be able to and you’ll avoid unnecessary downtime.
- Built-In Cybersecurity – A cyberattack can completely shut down access to content for both the business and the visitors. With a CDN in place, your content is spread out around the globe and will still be accessible by at least some of your users. This helps limit the damage caused by a malware attack or other server malfunctions.
- Data Loss Protection – Although there are other things you should be doing to ensure you’re protecting your data, using a CDN is another way to help protect your website if there’s a cyberattack or an accident that leads to data loss. A CDN stores your information across numerous servers, and it automatically creates backups of all of your data so there’s a much lower risk of losing it when one server or location loses data.
How a CDN Works
Many business owners assume that a content delivery network has a complicated framework, but the truth is a CDN is a relatively simple concept.
First things first, you can use CDNs in either a push-based or pull-based content delivery:
- Push-based CDNs – Push-based CDNs are like proactive offsite storage for your website. Data is pushed into the server – usually by the content creator or website owner – and then the CDN takes responsibility for delivering it to the user. This is a fantastic method for getting large files out to a widely distributed audience. For example, it can be perfect for storing software releases. However, it’s significantly less efficient than the more traditional pull-based CDNs, simply because it has to deal with the work of both storing and distributing the data.
- Pull-based CDNs – In pull-based CDNs, your content lives on your site’s origin server, rather than being stored within the CDN. The CDN server waits to pull specific files (like images or videos) until a user requests it for the first time. Then, it pulls the data from the origin server and caches this content on its network. The next time a user requests that content, the CDN delivers it from the cache. This seriously reduces your origin server’s workload, and it speeds up your site in the process.
To get a better idea of how a content delivery network works, it’s crucial to understand its architecture and the key components that comprise the bulk of a content delivery network’s functionality.
Let’s take a brief look at each component of a CDN’s architecture:
- Storage Nodes – Storage nodes are meant to store copies of original data before it is redistributed throughout the CDN. They can be deployed in such a way that makes tiered caching possible. This allows the CDN to minimize the number of data centers required to deliver content.
- Origin Nodes – Origin nodes serve as the main sources of the content. In terms of functionality, origin nodes are responsible for enabling distribution across the network. They can also do the same for content across the site’s infrastructure.
- Control Nodes – Control nodes are primarily responsible for managing the routing and monitoring components of a content delivery network. The number of control nodes required will depend on the overall size of the CDN architecture. In some cases, this number could be in the thousands.
- Delivery Nodes – As you might anticipate, delivery nodes are responsible for delivering content to the end-users. To minimize the amount of time that it takes to do so, the delivery nodes used (which are servers in this case) are the ones that are in closest proximity to the user. After content is initially requested by the user, the delivery node caches this information. This means that all future loading times for that type of content will be significantly shorter.
Features to Consider
If you’re probably on the hunt for a WordPress CDN, there’s a lot to consider and every hosting provider obviously thinks that their CDN is the best around. So how do you pick?
Here are some features to research in greater detail to make an informed decision:
- Network Size and Server Distribution – If a CDN has a geographically large network with plenty of servers, you can trust it will probably get your content out quickly.
- Actual Performance – Every single provider out there will boast great speeds, which is why we recommend checking out independent performance reviews.
- Security Features – CDNs should be relatively secure, and if leveraged properly, they can serve as a website security feature themselves. Check to make sure the CDN you’re considering has solid defenses, such as SSL certificates and a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to repel unwanted intruders.
- Overall Cost and Pricing Tiers – Compare price points and services offered to get a true sense of which service provider offers the best return on investment. After all, paying a little more upfront can be well worth it if the host can save you time and give you speeds that drive conversions.
Red Flags to Avoid
For the most part, you’ll be comparing very fine details when looking at potential CDN providers. And while most providers will be solid, we’d like to offer some things to watch out for.
Some major red flags to watch out for in a CDN provider:
- Limited Server Distribution – If a CDN only has a handful of servers, or their server locations are limited to a specific global region, that’s cause for concern.
- Confusing Pricing – You deserve to get a straightforward, digestible pricing model out of the companies you work with. If the company’s cagey about pricing, the odds are good there will be hidden charges down the line.
- Lack of SSL – SSL encryption is essential for online security. If a CDN lacks this, it’s a clear no-go. Remember, security is your lifeline; don’t gamble with it.
- Slow time-to-first-byte (TTFB) – The whole point of using a CDN is to make sure your site loads as quickly as possible, no matter where users are. If your CDN doesn’t offer a killer time-to-first-byte (TTFB), it’s not providing the speed you need.
If you come across any of these signs on your CDN search, run in the other direction. There are better options out there for you, we promise.
How to Leverage Our Built-in CDN
Pressable has used its globally distributed CDN to offer fast and reliable WordPress hosting for ages. However, we’re not content with just keeping up with the traffic. We overtake traditional CDN offerings with a unique feature called Edge Cache.
Edge caching takes the pull-based caching method described above and combines it with a clever infrastructure strategy called edge computing. This is an approach to data distribution that uses the nearest of the servers distributed around the edge of the network to deliver data to users, rather than delivering users to a centrally located CDN server.
Pressable users can set their site to use either the traditional CDN or the new Edge Cache. Both are included in all Pressable plans for no additional cost, but we heartily recommend you go with the Edge Cache for your WordPress website.
Keep Your Site Running Fast All Over the World With Pressable
CDNs make your site faster and more secure by distributing your content across a global network of servers. Pressable has taken this to the next level with our managed WordPress hosting which is built on WP Cloud.
Take a look at our WordPress hosting plans to start creating a super-speedy site today.
Zach Wiesman
Zach brings a wealth of knowledge to Pressable with more than 12 years of experience in the WordPress world. His journey in WordPress began with creating and maintaining client websites, fostering a deep understanding of the intricacies and challenges of WordPress. Later, his knack for problem-solving and commitment to service led him to pursue a role at Automattic, where he excelled in providing customer support for WooCommerce. His expertise extends beyond technical proficiency to encompass a deep understanding of the WordPress community and its needs. Outside of work, Zach enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, and working on projects around the house.
