WordPress 6.3 Improves Page Speed & New Features

Updated March 14, 2024

The WordPress 6.3 update includes over 170 performance updates. One improvement aims to solve site speed problems caused by Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), a metric that measures how long it takes to load the largest image or text block. Site speed poses a problem to website owners because it affects how visitors experience your site. Google has also gone on record to say that site speed is a ranking factor. In addition to speed, WP 6.3 offers new features and editor enhancements.

Faster Performance

We want to highlight WordPress 6.3’s performance improvements towards a faster and more responsive website. These include:

• A new caching system that stores frequently accessed pages in memory so they can be loaded more quickly.
• A new lazy loading feature that defers the loading of images until they are needed, which can improve performance on slow connections.
• A new minification feature that removes unnecessary code from your website can also improve performance.

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Improved Accessibility

The new update has incorporated over 50 enhancements in accessibility that enhance the experience for users who rely on assistive technologies. Most notable would be easier navigation using tabs and arrow keys, better labeling, improved heading structure, and additional controls in the admin image editor.New Features

In addition to the improved site performance, WordPress 6.3 includes several new features that make it even easier to manage a website like:

• An improved block editor that makes it easier to create and edit content.
• A new block patterns library that provides a collection of pre-made blocks so it’s easy to build visually appealing web pages. 
• The option to set aspect ratios on images, customize captions, and other settings for text color, layout control, border options, etc.

Is It Worth the Upgrade?

In a word… yes. WordPress 6.3 contains 170+ new features and improvements. In addition to its unique capabilities, running your WordPress site on the latest version is also a smart move for security. 

Not convinced yet? Here are some ways you can use WordPress 6.3 to create a website that puts your business’s best foot forward: 

• Transform text-heavy pages into ones that engage. The block editor and block patterns library will save you time as you create visually appealing pages or blog posts.
• Use Details block to create interactive Q&A sections, hide long paragraphs, or find other ways to show content on a page.
• Track design changes, which help you visualize revisions in a timeline to see how a page has evolved. This feature is handy if multiple users collaborate on pages or you’re tweaking an important page to improve conversion performance. 
• Identify and fix site health issues.

Need help with updating your WordPress website to the latest version or want to refresh your design? We’re WordPress experts who can help you refresh your site or maintain the one you already have and love.