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WTF is CSS Tree Shaking? A Must-Have Skill for UpWork WordPress Developers

Stylized WordPress logo tree with floating leaves and symbols.

As a freelance WordPress developer on UpWork, I’m always on the lookout for efficient ways to enhance website performance. One technique that has significantly improved the projects I work on is CSS tree shaking. This method, vital in the toolkit of a modern web developer, is about streamlining your website’s CSS, making it as lean and effective as possible.

What is CSS Tree Shaking?

CSS tree shaking is the process of removing unused CSS from your website. In many WordPress projects, especially those involving a mix of themes and plugins, a lot of CSS goes unused. This extra code can slow down a website, impacting user experience and SEO. By ‘shaking off’ this excess, much like a tree sheds its dead leaves, you can significantly improve site performance.

The Importance of CSS Tree Shaking

Speed and efficiency are crucial in web development, especially for freelancers on platforms like UpWork, where client satisfaction and website performance directly impact reputation and future opportunities. A fast-loading website is essential for user retention and SEO rankings, making CSS tree shaking not just a technical necessity but a critical component for successful project delivery.

How It Works

The process involves analysing your CSS files in relation to your site’s HTML and JavaScript. Tools used for CSS tree shaking examine the selectors in these files and eliminate any CSS rules that aren’t being used. This results in a smaller, more efficient CSS file, crucial for enhancing site speed.

Tools for CSS Tree Shaking

To implement this in your projects, consider these tools:

1.) PurifyCSS: Useful for scanning files and removing unnecessary CSS. There is a online tool as well as a github repo should you be comfortable working with NPM. With the online too you have the ability to add the URL’s to the pages you want to optimise or you can simple upload your HTML and CSS files for the tool to cross reference and removed unused styling.

Screenshot of PurifyCSS Online tool interface.

2.) UnCSS: Similar to PurifyCSS this tool is effective for static HTML, it helps in cleaning up unused styles in a few clicks. There is also a github repo should you want to incorporate UnCSS into your build process.

Screenshot of UnCSS Online tool interface.

3.) Webpack: For those incorporating Webpack into their build process, plugins like Purgecss-webpack-plugin are highly beneficial. This tool is an all-rounder, and will not only assist you with great optimised and clean CSS but JS and image files too.

Diagram showing file bundling into static assets for styles

Implementing in WordPress

As a WordPress developer on UpWork, you need to be mindful of the dynamic nature of the platform. Tools like WP Rocket can be particularly helpful as they simplify the implementation of CSS tree shaking, alongside other optimisation techniques.

Best Practices

  • Always Backup: Before implementing CSS tree shaking, ensure you have a full backup of the site.
  • Thorough Testing: After applying CSS tree shaking, test your site across different browsers and devices to ensure there are no style issues.
  • Regular Updates: Make CSS tree shaking a part of your routine site maintenance to keep the site optimised.

Help this is too technical for me!

I understand that for some reading this hoping for a quick fix that the above mentioned techniques may be a tad confusing and even overwhelming to implement. What I suggest is getting back to basics and making sure that your WordPress website is hosted with a really good hosting provider that can give you the best possible foundation for a WordPress website that is quick, snappy and a dream to manage. For this I am going to suggest Hostinger.

Hostinger provide all the necessary tools for the ultimate WordPress performance boost thanks to their Global CDN which helps to increase your website’s loading speed by storing copies of your website on servers across the globe.

The Hostinger CDN ensures:

  1. Boost your website’s speed by up to 40% with Hostinger CDN.
  2. Features to automatically optimize images on your website
  3. Enhancing your website’s security with Hostinger’s in-house CDN

For more information check out Hostingers WordPress specific hosting packages.

For WordPress developers on UpWork, CSS tree shaking is an invaluable skill. It’s not just about writing code; it’s about ensuring that the code contributes positively to the site’s performance. In the competitive world of freelance web development, techniques like CSS tree shaking are what can set you apart, delivering high-quality, efficient websites that satisfy clients and enhance your professional standing.