Expert Guide: How to Remove Unused CSS in WordPress

To optimize your WordPress website’s speed and performance, it is crucial to remove unused CSS. Unused CSS refers to the code that is loaded on your website but is not actually necessary to display the page. This extra code can slow down page rendering and negatively impact user experience, leading to lower search rankings and decreased traffic.

Google Pagespeed Insights can help identify which CSS files are affecting your loading times. There are two recommended methods for removing unused CSS in WordPress. The first method involves using the WP Rocket plugin, which simplifies the process and achieves significant CSS removal. The second method utilizes the Asset Cleanup plugin, allowing for more control over the removal of unused CSS on a page-by-page basis.

Key Takeaways:

• Unused CSS can slow down page rendering and impact user experience negatively.
• Removing unused CSS can improve website speed and optimization in WordPress.
• WP Rocket plugin offers an easy and effective solution for removing unused CSS.
• Asset Cleanup plugin provides a more advanced and granular approach for removing unused CSS on a page-by-page basis.
• Thoroughly test your website after removing unused CSS to ensure no broken elements.

Method 1: Remove Unused CSS with WP Rocket Plugin

To optimize your WordPress website and improve its performance, it is crucial to remove unused CSS. One effective method for achieving this is by using the WP Rocket plugin. WP Rocket provides a simplified solution for removing unused CSS, allowing you to optimize your website and enhance its loading speed.

After installing and activating the WP Rocket plugin, navigate to the ‘File Optimization’ tab in the WP Rocket settings. Here, you will find the option to enable the ‘Remove Unused CSS (Beta)’ feature. By enabling this option, WP Rocket will automatically identify and remove any unused CSS files from your website, reducing the overall file size and improving performance.

In addition to removing unused CSS, WP Rocket offers various other features to optimize your website’s CSS delivery. It allows you to remove render-blocking CSS, optimize CSS delivery, and implement additional file delivery tweaks. These features work together to further enhance your website’s performance and loading speed, providing a better user experience for your visitors.

WP Rocket Plugin Features:

• Remove Unused CSS (Beta): Automatically removes unused CSS files from your WordPress website.
• Optimize CSS Delivery: Speeds up your website by optimizing the delivery of CSS resources.
• Remove Render-Blocking CSS: Eliminates render-blocking CSS that slows down page rendering.
• Additional File Delivery Tweaks: Fine-tune file delivery settings for optimal performance.

Example Table: CSS File Optimization Results

The table above showcases the CSS file optimization results achieved using the WP Rocket plugin. By removing unused CSS, the plugin significantly reduces the file size, resulting in a 50% reduction on average. This reduction in file size leads to improved website performance and faster loading times for your visitors.

Method 2: Remove Unused CSS with Asset Cleanup Plugin

For a more advanced and granular approach to removing unused CSS in WordPress, the Asset Cleanup plugin is recommended. This plugin allows you to optimize your website’s speed on a page-by-page basis by unloading unwanted CSS files.

After installing and activating the Asset Cleanup plugin, you can enable the test mode to experiment with different settings without affecting the user experience. In the CSS/JS Manager section of the plugin settings, you will find a list of all the loaded files on a page.

To remove unused CSS, simply toggle off the unwanted files. The plugin makes it easy to identify and disable the specific CSS files that are not necessary for a particular page, improving your website’s speed and performance. However, it is essential to thoroughly test your website after removing any unused CSS to ensure that there are no broken elements.

In addition to unused CSS removal, the Asset Cleanup plugin offers other features such as optimizing CSS and JavaScript, disabling unnecessary elements, and managing page options. By leveraging the power of the Asset Cleanup plugin, you can take control of your website’s performance and provide a faster and smoother user experience.