Speeding up your PHP website

• Use a current PHP version. Newer PHP releases are noticeably faster.
• Turn on OPcache if your host allows it.
• Cache configuration and routes in Laravel applications in production.
• Compress images and serve them at the size they are shown.
• Keep the database tidy: old logs can be pruned automatically, as UPIPayments does with its log retention setting.
• Measure before and after each change so you know what helped.

When a well-tuned site is still slow under real traffic, it is time to look at a bigger hosting plan.