In order to rank high in search engines and generate conversions with Drupal, you need to understand performance - or Drupal speed - as an essential building block. For users, a well-designed and fast-responding Drupal website means less frustration, which is reflected in a longer dwell time, for example. For Google, page speed is a decisive ranking factor in the context of good performance. You should therefore always optimize Drupal performance as much as possible.
Tips for improving Drupal performance
There are numerous ways in which you can improve the performance of your Drupal website. As a specialized Drupal agency, we provide you with valuable tips from our many years of expertise and present particularly relevant measures and their effects below.
Use caching to improve performance
To improve performance, you can use caching effectively. For example, you can use the key-value store of the Redis in-memory database. It offers optional backends for caches, locks and paths. Drupal Memcache and Drupal Memcache Storage modules are also particularly easy to install and use. The Varnish Cache is also interesting.
This is a very fast and advanced reverse proxy system. In the usual configurations, Varnish manages all caches for anonymous page views and some files or pages for logged-in users via ESI (Edge Side Includes) and per-role caches for your website. The reverse proxy function of the nginx web server can be used in a similar way.
If you use shared hosting, the Drupal Boost module is a good solution. Incidentally, you can also subsequently change pages that have already been optimally cached. This works with the Drupal cleanup module. There are three basic types of caching: page caching, block caching and views caching.
Page caching
Drupal 8 or higher offers you an Internal Page Cache module, which is recommended for small to medium-sized websites. This core module, which is enabled by default, stores pages for anonymous users. This feature improves Drupal 8 and Drupal 9 performance by effectively speeding up the website. When users request websites, these are saved on the first request and reused when they are called up again. Depending on the configuration you choose, the improvement in performance can be significant. You can also configure how long browsers and proxies are allowed to cache pages.
Block caching in Drupal
With the introduction of Drupal 9 and the continuous development towards Drupal 10, the caching system has evolved. All displayable arrays, whether pages, entities or blocks, are cacheable. The cache API, which has been greatly improved compared to earlier versions such as Drupal 7, offers a sophisticated approach to caching all displayable elements. These enhancements contribute significantly to performance optimization and enable more efficient management of website resources.
Views caching for precise data management
The extended cache module "Views" in Drupal 9 and the upcoming versions expand the possibilities for using cache tags and cache contexts. While these features require an in-depth understanding of the Drupal Cache API, they allow for more precise control of cache logic and prevent potential misconfigurations that can lead to undesirable cache results. The advanced caching features in Drupal help you to effectively manage content access restrictions and optimize website performance.
Big Pipe for improved loading times
Big Pipe technology, which has been included in the core system since Drupal 8.1 and has been stable since Drupal 8.3, remains a key factor in improving performance in Drupal 9 and beyond. Big Pipe significantly improves the loading speed of websites by sending content to the browser in stages instead of waiting for the page to be fully generated. This technique, originally developed for Facebook, allows for faster user interaction with the website as content is dynamically reloaded without blocking the build of the entire page.
By continuously updating your Drupal installation and using the latest caching technologies, you not only ensure optimal performance of your website, but also ensure that your content is classified as up-to-date and relevant for search engines. Our expertise as a Drupal agency allows us to assist you in implementing these advanced technologies and maximizing the performance of your website.
Optimize images specifically
Taking a look at the image folder and the file size of the photo material is also important. As a Drupal agency, we know that there is often a need for action here. In current Drupal versions, there is a predefined content type that can be used to insert images directly in the WYSIWYG editor. You should use this to obtain a real-time display of images on other end devices at any time. In this way, you can immediately see to what extent you can further compress and optimize images in order to achieve fast Drupal loading times. It is important that the images are kept as small as possible and that you use the correct formats: the png graphics format, jpeg as the image format or, if necessary, webP as a modern format.
Content delivery network (CDN) and GDPR compliance with your own content banner module
Is your company represented nationwide? Do people access your website from different and distant locations? Then you should integrate a CDN (Content Delivery Network). A CDN enables lower latency and higher Drupal loading speed through intermediate storage in a proxy. In addition, the origin server can serve several requests at the same time. This can be implemented with the Drupal CDN module, which enables simple integration of a content delivery network. File URLs are changed so that files (images, videos, CSS, JS, fonts, etc.) are downloaded from a CDN and not, as usual, from your web server.
To ensure GDPR compliance, we have developed a special consent banner module. This module guarantees that user consent is obtained before any cookies or other tracking technologies that could process personal data are activated. It is particularly important as data may be stored and processed on servers in different countries by the CDN. Our Consent Banner module not only provides legal protection by obtaining the necessary consents, but also increases user trust through transparent communication about the use of their data.
In addition to implementing our Consent Banner module, it is crucial that the chosen CDN provider offers GDPR-compliant data processing agreements. This ensures that the data processing meets the high data protection standards of the European Union. Their privacy policy should transparently explain how and why a CDN is used, what data is processed and how our Consent Banner module ensures user consent.
Choosing a CDN provider that explicitly guarantees GDPR compliance and handles data transfer and storage in accordance with the strict European data protection guidelines is of great importance. Our Consent Banner module, combined with carefully selected technical and organizational measures, ensures that the performance of your Drupal website is optimized while meeting data protection requirements.
As an experienced Drupal agency, we are proud to offer customized solutions such as our Consent Banner module that not only solve technical challenges but also meet the legal requirements of the GDPR. We are happy to provide you with comprehensive advice to implement a solution that optimally meets both performance and data protection requirements for your Drupal website.
Rely on professionalism and in-depth expertise
This is just a small excerpt from a large portfolio of optimization measures to improve Drupal speed and Drupal performance. But be careful: the measures are very technical and require the appropriate know-how. There are many pitfalls and obstacles. If you want to optimize your Drupal performance reliably and securely, you should rely on professionalism and sound expertise. This is exactly what our Drupal agency stands for. We would be happy to show you your options in a personal consultation.