Archived topic
GP Customizer, GP Elements or Simple CSS: Best option for better performance?
5 replies · Started by Sascha on August 27, 2022
Hello,
sometimes I only need CSS for specific pages and in the past I have always used "Simple CSS" plugin for that.
Not I have realized, that using "Simple CSS" sometimes creates additional load assets.
After moving the CSS to the Customizer ("Generating your dynamic CSS in an external file" is enabled), I noticed a faster load and better PageSpeed Scores.
But most of the custom CSS is not required to load on all pages, I wonder if loading CSS via Hook-Element would have the same effect as using Simple CSS? Or should I even use a child-theme as the best option?
For the best performance & scores, I'd like to learn about the best practice for applying custom CSS to single or multiple, but not all pages:
Simple CSS?
Customizer CSS?
Element-Hook?
Child Theme?
Can you please guide me to the right direction?
Thank you in advance and kind regards,
Sascha
Hi there,
the big question here is how much CSS do you have that is only required for those specific pages?
Hi David, thank you for your reply.
You mean, the decision for using any of the options depends on the amount of CSS-code?
I would assume it's never more than 10-50 lines of code.
Thanks
Sascha
Thats correct.
If you're worried about loading an additional 10 - 50 lines on pages that don't require it, then don't be. It really won't make a difference.
I would only be concerned if there were 100's of lines of CSS. And then i would opt for a Child Theme stylesheet so the browser can cache it.
If there is 100's of lines of CSS for just a single page or a few pages, then i would use a child theme with a separate stylesheet that was enqueued just on those pages. Which would require a little PHP.
Thanks.
So, I still wonder about the best options for this small amount of 10-50 lines of CSS:
Simple CSS?
Customizer CSS?
Element-Hook?
Child Theme seems overkill …
Thank you in advance and kind regards,
Sascha
I would say the Additional CSS field in the customizer (WP core feature) would suffice for 10-50 lines of CSS.
If you want to dig deeper, simply add the CSS using each method then run the site through some speed tests for comparison :)
