Watch the whole course free on YouTube
FreeAll 4 lessons, with captions and chapters. Open the playlist on YouTube →
- How Browsers Load a Page for Faster WordPress Speed
From the lesson
“Before we speed up a page, let's understand how a web browser actually builds one. Once you can picture the steps, every optimization we make later will make plain sense. Watch the order unfold, one piece at a time. First, the HTML arrives — that's the plain text and structure of your page. Next, the browser reads that HTML and finds links to style files and scripts.” Watch the full lesson →
- Install Autoptimize and Measure Your Site Speed First
From the lesson
“Before we change any setting, we measure. We take a snapshot of how the demo page performs today. Later, that snapshot proves the improvement. We record a baseline — how the page feels to load, and how much it weighs. We confirm the Autoptimize plugin is already installed and switched on. Then we tour the settings screen and its tabs.” Watch the full lesson →
- Minify and Defer JavaScript, CSS and HTML in WordPress
From the lesson
“Autoptimize works on the code behind your pages — the scripts and styles your theme and plugins load — trimming it so pages feel quicker without changing how they look. In this lesson we switch that on for your JavaScript, your CSS and your page markup, and we practise the safe way to recover if anything looks off. Good to know: a separate page-cache plugin can run right alongside Autoptimize.” Watch the full lesson →
- Lazy Load Images and Tune Extra Settings in Autoptimize
From the lesson
“In this lesson we tune how images load, tidy a few extra options, keep the cache under control, and measure the payoff honestly. We'll lazy-load images, so off-screen pictures wait their turn. We'll fine-tune the Extra tab — fonts, emojis and connections. We'll clear the saved files, and know when that matters. We'll measure the payoff by feel and by proof, not magic numbers.” Watch the full lesson →
Following along on your own site and stuck on something the video doesn't cover? Book a WordPress tutor — a live session on your own website, $85 an hour.
Autoptimize is a free WordPress plugin that speeds up your site by tidying the CSS, JavaScript, HTML, and images a browser has to download. This short course explains how a page actually loads, then walks you through setting the plugin up and measuring the difference. By the end you'll have a faster site and understand why it's faster.
What you'll learn
Page speed shapes how visitors experience your site and how search engines rank it, yet most performance advice is vague or intimidating. This course grounds you first in how browsers build a page, so learning how to use Autoptimize feels logical rather than like flipping random switches. You'll be able to install the plugin, apply sensible optimizations to your code and images, and confirm the improvement with real before-and-after measurements. That's a practical, repeatable way to keep any WordPress site quick.
Inside the course
- How Browsers Load a Page
- Installing Autoptimize & Baseline Measurement
- JavaScript, CSS & HTML Optimization
- Images, Extra Settings & Final Measurement
Who this course is for
This suits beginners and site owners who want a faster WordPress site without hiring a developer. No coding is needed, though it helps to be comfortable installing a plugin. If you want more of the underlying theory, our free written tutorials go deeper on performance.
Frequently asked questions
Is Autoptimize free?
Will Autoptimize break my site?
Do I need to know how to code to use Autoptimize?
Every one of the 4 lessons is free to watch — you just need a free WP Tutoring account. No card, no trial clock.
- All 4 lessons in this course
- Follow along on a clean WordPress install
- Keep your free account forever