How to improve page speed for SEO in Grav?

@dudley 

Improving page speed is crucial for better SEO and user experience in any CMS, including Grav. Here are some strategies you can use to enhance page speed in Grav:

1. Use a Caching Strategy: Enable and Configure Caching: Grav has built-in caching mechanisms. Make sure caching is enabled in the system.yaml configuration file under the cache section. You can use file, GZip, or Redis caches based on your server setup. Clear Cache: Regularly clear cache when making significant updates to ensure that users see the most recent content without delay.
2. Optimize Images: Compress Images: Use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to compress images before uploading. Use WebP Format: Convert images to WebP format for faster loading. WebP provides superior compression with a quality equivalent to JPEG or PNG.
3. Minify CSS and JavaScript: Minify Files: Minifying involves removing unnecessary whitespace and comments. Grav's assets capabilities allow you to minify CSS and JavaScript files using the enable_asset_pipeline option. Combine Files: Reduce HTTP requests by combining CSS and JavaScript files when possible.
4. Leverage a Content Delivery Network (CDN): Use a CDN to distribute your content across multiple servers, reducing load times by serving content from the closest server to the user.
5. Optimize Theme and Plugins: Lightweight Theme: Choose a lightweight theme optimized for speed. Some themes have a lot of unnecessary features that can slow down page load times. Review Plugins: Only use essential plugins and ensure they are optimized. Regularly update plugins to benefit from performance improvements and optimizations.
6. Enable GZip Compression: Enable GZip compression in the Grav configuration to reduce the size of transmitted data and speed up the loading process. You can configure this in the system.yaml file.
7. Utilize Lazy Loading for Images: Implement lazy loading for images to ensure they are only loaded when they come into the viewport, reducing initial load time.
8. Upgrade Hosting Environment: Fast Servers: Use a reliable hosting provider with fast servers. Consider upgrading to a VPS or dedicated server if you’re on shared hosting. PHP Version: Make sure you’re running the latest stable version of PHP. Newer versions of PHP offer performance improvements.
9. Database Optimization: Although Grav is a flat-file CMS, if you use database plugins, ensure that your database queries are optimized and index your database appropriately.
10. Monitor Performance: Utilize tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or WebPageTest to analyze your site’s performance and identify further optimization opportunities.

By implementing these strategies, you should be able to significantly improve the page speed of your Grav-based site, thus boosting its performance in SEO rankings and providing a better experience for visitors.