Before we jump into the setup, here’s a quick explanation.
Caching saves a copy of your website so it doesn’t have to load everything from scratch every time someone visits.
A CDN stores your website's content in multiple locations around the world, so it loads faster for visitors no matter where they are.
You don’t need to become a tech expert to use these tools — just follow the steps and you’ll be fine.
Most hosting providers or website builders include simple caching tools. Here's how to activate it depending on what you use:
Log in to your Plesk control panel.
Go to Websites & Domains.
Click on your domain name.
Look for Apache & nginx Settings.
Enable caching options like nginx caching or static file caching, if available.
Click OK or Apply to save your settings.
If you’re using WordPress, caching can also be added with a plugin like WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache — both are beginner-friendly.
There are several CDN services out there, but the most popular and easiest for beginners is Cloudflare — and it has a free plan.
Click Sign Up and enter your email and a password.
Add your domain name (like yourdomain.com) when prompted.
Cloudflare will scan your DNS records and get everything ready for setup.
To use Cloudflare or any CDN, you’ll need to point your domain’s nameservers to the CDN.
Here’s how:
Cloudflare will show you two new nameservers (like amy.ns.cloudflare.com)
Log in to your domain registrar (where you bought your domain — like Namecheap or GoDaddy)
Find your domain and click on Manage DNS or Nameservers
Replace the current nameservers with the ones from Cloudflare
Save your changes
It can take a few hours to update, but your site will stay online during this time.
Once Cloudflare is connected to your site:
Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard
Click your website
Go to the Caching tab
Choose Standard Caching or Aggressive, depending on how often your content changes
Also, go to the Speed tab and enable options like Auto Minify and Brotli compression
These help reduce file sizes and load your website faster.
Once you’ve enabled caching and the CDN, visit your website and notice how quickly it loads.
You can also test it with a free tool like https://pagespeed.web.dev to see how your improvements are working.
If you ever update your website and changes don’t show right away, it might be because the cached version is still loading. In Plesk or Cloudflare, you can click “Clear Cache” to refresh the latest version.
