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In August 2023, WordPress will be releasing version 6.3 of their website developer. This update is set to contain a wide array of improvements to overall enhance user experience by speeding up perceived loading times for websites. The ultimate goal is to boost SEO performance on WordPress websites across the internet, which is quite the task as 43.1 percent of all websites rely on WordPress as their development platform.

In order to understand the greater impact these updates will have on WordPress websites, we first need to build an in-depth understanding of what these improvements actually entail. Once we have an appropriate comprehension of this update, we can better grasp how this will impact and overall improve your WordPress website.

WordPress 6.3 Improvements

WordPress 6.3 focuses on several features, mainly those related to website loading times. In order to help websites attain better Core Web Vitals SEO scores, WordPress made improvements to their Large Contentful Paint (LCP), Fetch priority, and Lazyloading attributes.

LCP

LCP is a metric that measures how long it takes to render a large image or text block. This metric is collected by measuring what the site visitor sees in their browser, also referred to as the viewport. By collecting this data, we can properly understand a user’s perception of how long it takes to load a web page. In order to achieve the best Core Web Vitals performance possible, this update will use HTML attributes, such as fetch priority, on specific elements thus allowing them to better communicate with WordPress’s programming base.

Fetch Priority

Fetch priority refers to the HTML attribute that can be connected to webpage elements such as images, CSS, and JavaScript. This attribute tells the browser which webpage resources need to be downloaded fastest so that the site visitor does not have to wait for content to load in their viewport. Typically, fetch priority is applied to content that shows higher up on the page as that is what the user will see and interact with first.

In order to ensure that this feature works as intended, it is only applied to images with a minimum size threshold so smaller resources like navigation buttons can be fast tracked to load first. Additionally, a new fetch priority cannot override an existing fetch priority attribute, ensuring that there are no accidental contradictory instructions slowing the website down.

Lazyloading

Lazyloading has also been perfected with this WordPress update. Lazyloading tells the browser which images and iframes are not critical to load first, usually content further down the webpage. WordPress used to apply lazyloading to all web page assets without a ranking system, but now the program will detect which images are most critical and should be loaded first. Lazyloading only refers to the content that is deemed not critical at the beginning, so content that shows up immediately is able to skip the lazyloading cue and download as fast as possible.

With all of these updated features, there are expected to be a few bugs in the code. However, WordPress has also fixed the bugs associated with the implementation of these LCP optimizations so that everyone can experience this boost in loading times quicker and easier. Additionally, the update has been designed to no override any related custom optimization. This means that, if you added custom applications to fetch priority or lazyloading, then this update will not override those customizations.

Overall, WordPress 6.3 is expected to bring faster perceived website load times and an improved user experience. However, there are other beneficial and detrimental effects that can be expected for people updating their website to WordPress 6.3.

What This Update Means for WordPress Websites

WordPress 6.3 promises to improve user experience by speeding up perceived website loading times. Not only does this make your website more user friendly, but faster speeds are consistently linked with improved ad views and clicks and higher digital sales. Additionally, increased user friendliness also increases the amount of time a user spends on your website. The more time a user engages with a website, the higher their recommendation rate through search engines like Google improves. By running a website that is faster than your competitors, you can gain a competitive advantage within search algorithms.

However, there is a slight detriment to all of these improvements. The update is expected to affect third-party website plugins, especially those that rely on current lazyloding logic to function. If you have a plugin that uses the current state of LCP, fetch priority, or lazyloading in order to function, then they will likely break or function improperly until those third-party plugins are updated to WordPress 6.3.

While these detriments can be expected to temporarily negatively impact parts of your website, this update appears to provide a permanent good to all WordPress website users. There is expected to be an improvement across the board for all WordPress website users on both the front- and back-end.

Optimize Your Website with BluShark Digital

WordPress currently supports over 810 million websites, which is what makes optimization of your website critical to staying ahead of the competition. Understanding WordPress updates is only the first step to building the best website possible for your business. At BluShark Digital, we have a comprehensive team of experts spanning several niches within digital marketing including website development, content creation, and links optimization. Contact our team to see how we can optimize your website today!