What is Brotli Compression and Why Do I Need It?

Compressing your WordPress website files is something you can do to improve your sites performance. Traditionally, this is done with Gzip Compression as this has been the standard for quite some time. Recently Google released a new compression algorithm called Brotli. Brotli that optimizes text-based files like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It works by reducing file sizes, which leads to faster file transfers between the server and the user’s browser.

is Brotli Compression Better Than Gzip?

Compared to Gzip, Brotli offers several advantages, including better compression rates, as it can compress files into smaller sizes, leading to more efficient data transfers and reduced bandwidth usage. This results in improved load times, with smaller files enabling faster downloads and quicker page loads. Additionally, Brotli has widespread browser support, as all major browsers—including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge—have supported it since 2020, making it an ideal choice for performance-focused websites.

Enabling Brotli compression within W3 Total Cache can significantly enhance your site’s speed by reducing file sizes more effectively than Gzip. This reduction leads to faster page load times, as smaller files require less data for browsers to process, thereby improving the overall user experience. Additionally, Brotli can positively impact important performance metrics like First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), both of which are crucial for Google’s ranking algorithms.

Brotli and Gzip are both valuable compression algorithms, but Brotli outperforms Gzip in most cases:

• Compression Ratios: Brotli compresses files more efficiently than Gzip, especially for static assets like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.
• Speed: Brotli often results in faster load times due to smaller file sizes.
• Compatibility: While Brotli is supported by modern browsers, Gzip remains essential for compatibility with older browsers.

For optimal performance, you should enable Brotli for modern browsers and fall back to Gzip where necessary. W3 Total Cache handles this automatically, ensuring that your site is always served with the best compression method available.

Comparing Compression Levels (Gzip vs. Brotli)

When comparing compression levels, Gzip offers 9 distinct levels, with higher levels providing greater file size reductions. However, there is a tradeoff between compression efficiency and the time it takes for the server to complete the compression process. For example, at level 1, Gzip compresses files quickly, but at level 9, while the file size savings are more significant, the compression takes longer to finalize.

Similarly, Brotli follows a comparable structure, but with 11 levels of compression. Like Gzip, Brotli’s higher levels also take more time to achieve maximum compression, meaning that both algorithms share this balance between time and efficiency when it comes to compression settings. The key difference lies in Brotli’s ability to compress files into smaller sizes overall, providing even greater file savings at similar or higher levels compared to Gzip.

Here’s a comparison list of Gzip and Brotli compression levels to further simplify:

• Gzip Compression Levels:
  • 9 levels of compression.
  • Higher levels offer greater file size reduction.
  • Tradeoff: Higher compression levels take more time to complete.
  • Example: Level 1 is faster but saves less space, while Level 9 takes longer but reduces file size more significantly.
• Brotli Compression Levels:
  • 11 levels of compression.
  • Similar tradeoff between compression efficiency and time.
  • Higher levels, like Gzip, take longer but result in smaller file sizes.
  • Brotli generally produces smaller files than Gzip at comparable compression levels.

By enabling Brotli compression within W3 Total Cache, you can further enhance your site’s speed by reducing file sizes beyond what Gzip can achieve.

This can result in:

• Faster Page Load Times: Smaller files mean less data for browsers to load, improving user experience.
• Better Core Web Vitals Scores: Brotli can help improve key performance metrics like First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which are critical for Google’s ranking algorithms.

How to Enable Brotli Compression in W3 Total Cache

Step 1: Install and Set Up W3 Total Cache

If you don’t have W3 Total Cache installed on your WordPress site, follow these simple steps:

• Go to your WordPress dashboard, click on Plugins > Add New.
• Search for W3 Total Cache and click Install.
• Once installed, click Activate.

Step 2: Check if Brotli Compression is Supported by Your Server

Brotli compression requires support at the server level, either on Apache or Nginx. To check if Brotli is supported:

• Use browser developer tools: Right-click on your webpage, click Inspect, go to the Network tab, and reload the page. Click on any file and look for the Content-Encoding header—if it says “br,” Brotli is enabled.
• Alternatively, use online Brotli testers or tools like GTMetrix to check if your server supports Brotli.

If Brotli is not enabled, contact your hosting provider or system administrator to configure it.

Step 3: Enable Brotli Compression in W3 Total Cache

Once Brotli is supported on your server, enabling it in W3 Total Cache is simple:

• Navigate to Performance > Browser Cache in your WordPress dashboard.
• Scroll down to the HTML & XML, CSS & JS, and Media & Other Files sections.
• Ensure the Enable Compression option is checked for all relevant file types.
• W3 Total Cache will now automatically use Brotli for supported browsers and Gzip as a fallback for older browsers.

Testing Brotli Compression on Your Website

After enabling Brotli compression, it’s important to test whether it’s working correctly and improving your site’s performance. Here’s how you can do it:

• Open Browser Developer Tools (Inspect > Network tab) and check the Content-Encoding field for “br” to verify that Brotli is being applied.
• Use performance testing tools like GTMetrix or WebPageTest to compare file sizes and page load times before and after enabling Brotli.
• Look for improvements in Core Web Vitals metrics, such as First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).

Brotli Compression vs. Gzip: Which Should You Use?

Brotli and Gzip are both valuable compression algorithms, but Brotli outperforms Gzip in most cases:

• Compression Ratios: Brotli compresses files more efficiently than Gzip, especially for static assets like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.
• Speed: Brotli often results in faster load times due to smaller file sizes.
• Compatibility: While Brotli is supported by modern browsers, Gzip remains essential for compatibility with older browsers.

For optimal performance, you should enable Brotli for modern browsers and fall back to Gzip where necessary. W3 Total Cache handles this automatically, ensuring that your site is always served with the best compression method available.

Conclusion

Enabling Brotli compression is one of the best ways to optimize your WordPress website’s performance. By reducing file sizes and improving page load speeds, Brotli helps deliver a better user experience while enhancing your SEO. Combined with W3 Total Cache’s caching and optimization features, Brotli is a powerful tool in your website performance arsenal.

Ready to optimize your site even further? Contact us for a free performance audit or let us help you with your WordPress optimization needs.