In Episode 34 of The Melapress Show, Robert Abela sits down with Remkus de Vries, performance expert and long-time WordPress community leader, to dig into what truly makes a website fast, far beyond clearing caches or turning off plugins. From understanding how caching layers work to recognizing the architectural choices that shape long-term speed, they explore why performance issues happen, how to diagnose them effectively, and what developers, agencies, and site owners should focus on first.

Key topics include:

• Which caching layers actually matter, and which ones don’t
• A clear, approachable method for diagnosing performance problems
• How far can non-technical users optimize before deeper analysis is required
• The real culprits behind slow sites: queries, autoloaded options, cache misses, and bad architecture
• How to choose plugins based on engineering principles rather than myths
• The biggest performance mistakes developers make
• How early project decisions influence long-term speed
• High-impact improvements listeners can apply immediately

🎙️ Guest: Remkus de Vries — Wordpress Veteran & Performance Specialist

🎙️ Host: Robert Abela — Melapress