Your website is hosted on a server somewhere. When a visitor in Australia requests your page, that request travels all the way to your server and back. That journey takes time — time that makes your site feel slow.
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) solves this by putting copies of your content on servers worldwide. Now that Australian visitor gets content from a server in Sydney, not Dublin.
What Is a CDN?
A CDN is a network of servers distributed across multiple locations globally. These servers, called edge servers or points of presence (PoPs), cache copies of your website’s static content.
When someone visits your site:
- The CDN determines their location
- Requests are routed to the nearest edge server
- Static content is served from that local server
- Dynamic content still comes from your origin server
The result: faster load times for visitors regardless of their location.
What CDNs Cache
Static Content (CDN serves this)
- Images (JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, SVG)
- CSS stylesheets
- JavaScript files
- Fonts
- PDF documents
- Static HTML pages
- Video and audio files
Dynamic Content (Origin server handles this)
- Shopping carts
- User dashboards
- Search results
- Form submissions
- Logged-in content
- Personalised pages
Some advanced CDNs can cache dynamic content too, but static content caching is the core function.
Why CDNs Matter for Irish Businesses
Speed for International Visitors
Ireland is geographically close to UK and EU servers, so European visitors already get decent speeds. But:
- American visitors experience 100-150ms latency to Irish servers
- Asian visitors experience 200-300ms latency
- Australian visitors experience 300-350ms latency
CDNs reduce this dramatically. A visitor in New York might get content from a server also in New York — latency drops to 10-20ms.
Speed for Irish Visitors
Even for Irish visitors, CDNs help:
- Cloudflare has a PoP in Dublin
- Some CDNs have Belfast and Cork presence
- Edge caching reduces server load
Handling Traffic Spikes
When content goes viral or marketing campaigns drive traffic, your origin server can struggle. CDNs absorb this traffic:
- Static content served without touching origin
- Origin server handles only dynamic requests
- Traffic distributed across global infrastructure
DDoS Protection
CDN networks are designed to handle massive traffic. This inherently protects against distributed denial-of-service attacks:
- Attack traffic distributed across PoPs
- Origin server IP hidden
- Malicious traffic filtered
How CDNs Work with WordPress
Basic Setup
- Sign up with CDN provider
- Add your domain to CDN
- Update DNS to point to CDN
- CDN fetches content from your origin server
- Content cached on edge servers
- Visitors served from nearest edge
WordPress CDN Integration
Many CDN providers offer WordPress plugins for:
- Cache purging when content updates
- URL rewriting for assets
- Integration with caching plugins
- Performance optimization features
Caching Headers
CDNs respect caching headers sent by your server. Properly configured headers tell the CDN:
- What to cache
- How long to cache it
- When to revalidate
WordPress caching plugins usually set these automatically.
Cloudflare: The Popular Choice
Cloudflare is the most popular CDN for WordPress sites, especially smaller businesses.
Free Tier Features
- Global CDN
- DDoS protection
- SSL certificate
- Basic caching
- DNS hosting
- Page rules (3 free)
Pro Tier (€20/month)
- Enhanced image optimization
- Mobile optimization
- Polish (image compression)
- Faster cache
- Web Application Firewall
Business Tier (€200/month)
- Custom SSL
- 100% uptime SLA
- Priority support
- Advanced WAF rules
Setup Process
- Create Cloudflare account
- Add your domain
- Cloudflare scans existing DNS records
- Change nameservers at your registrar
- Wait for propagation (up to 24 hours)
- Configure caching settings
WordPress Integration
Install Cloudflare plugin for:
- Automatic cache purging
- APO (Automatic Platform Optimization) for WordPress
- Easy configuration
- Performance analytics
Other CDN Options
BunnyCDN
Pricing: ~€0.01/GB (pay as you go) Strengths: Simple, fast, affordable, European company Best for: Sites with predictable traffic wanting simple pricing
KeyCDN
Pricing: ~€0.04/GB Strengths: Strong performance, good features Best for: Mid-size sites wanting reliable CDN without complexity
StackPath (formerly MaxCDN)
Pricing: From €10/month Strengths: Good for WordPress, strong performance Best for: Sites wanting dedicated CDN without Cloudflare’s extras
Amazon CloudFront
Pricing: Varies by usage Strengths: Massive infrastructure, AWS integration Best for: Enterprises, complex setups, AWS users
Fastly
Pricing: Enterprise-level Strengths: Real-time purging, edge compute Best for: Large enterprises, real-time needs
CDN Best Practices for WordPress
Cache Everything Possible
Configure caching headers to maximize CDN effectiveness:
# Cache static assets for 1 year
<FilesMatch "\.(ico|pdf|jpg|jpeg|png|gif|webp|svg|js|css|woff|woff2)$">
Header set Cache-Control "max-age=31536000, public"
</FilesMatch>Use a Caching Plugin
Combine CDN with page caching:
- LiteSpeed Cache (for LiteSpeed servers)
- WP Rocket
- W3 Total Cache
Page caching + CDN = optimal performance.
Purge Cache When Needed
After content updates, purge CDN cache:
- Most WordPress CDN plugins do this automatically
- Manual purge available in CDN dashboard
- Set appropriate TTLs to balance freshness and performance
Handle Dynamic Content
Exclude from CDN caching:
- Cart and checkout pages
- User account areas
- Logged-in user content
- WooCommerce pages with real-time stock
Monitor CDN Performance
Track:
- Cache hit ratio (higher is better)
- Bandwidth served from CDN vs origin
- Response times from different locations
- Error rates
Cloudflare APO: WordPress-Specific CDN
Cloudflare’s Automatic Platform Optimization for WordPress is worth special mention.
What APO Does
- Caches entire HTML pages at edge
- Automatically bypasses cache for logged-in users
- Purges cache on content updates
- Works with WooCommerce
- Dramatically reduces origin requests
Pricing
€5/month (or included in Pro plan)
Results
Sites using APO typically see:
- 70-90% reduction in TTFB
- Significant improvement in Core Web Vitals
- Lower origin server load
- Faster global performance
For WordPress sites on Cloudflare, APO is highly recommended.
Common CDN Issues
Cache Not Clearing
Symptoms: Old content displays after updates Solutions:
- Purge CDN cache manually
- Check cache plugin integration
- Verify purge API credentials
- Check TTL settings
Mixed Content Errors
Symptoms: HTTPS warnings, broken content Solutions:
- Enable “Always Use HTTPS” in CDN
- Use SSL plugin to fix mixed content
- Update hardcoded HTTP URLs
Logged-In User Issues
Symptoms: Admin toolbar missing, cached logged-out view Solutions:
- Configure bypass for logged-in users
- Set proper cache bypass cookies
- Use APO if on Cloudflare
WooCommerce Problems
Symptoms: Cart not updating, wrong prices Solutions:
- Exclude cart, checkout, account pages
- Configure proper cookie-based bypassing
- Test thoroughly before deploying
Measuring CDN Impact
Before/After Testing
- Test site speed before CDN (GTmetrix, PageSpeed)
- Enable CDN
- Wait for cache to populate
- Test again
- Compare results
Key Metrics
- TTFB (Time to First Byte): Should decrease significantly
- Total Load Time: Should decrease
- Requests to Origin: Should decrease
- Bandwidth: Origin bandwidth should decrease
Global Testing
Use tools that test from multiple locations:
- Pingdom (multiple locations)
- GTmetrix (multiple locations)
- KeyCDN Tools
- dotcom-monitor
SparkHost + CDN
All SparkHost plans include Cloudflare CDN:
Essential/Starter:
- Cloudflare integration
- Basic caching configured
- DDoS protection
- Free SSL
Managed:
- Cloudflare Pro features
- APO configured
- Optimized caching rules
- Performance monitoring
We configure CDN settings optimally for WordPress, so you get benefits without the setup complexity.
Getting Started
Step 1: Sign up for Cloudflare (free tier is fine to start) Step 2: Add your domain and change nameservers Step 3: Install Cloudflare WordPress plugin Step 4: Configure basic caching rules Step 5: Consider APO for additional WordPress optimization Step 6: Test and monitor performance
CDNs are no longer optional for serious websites. The performance benefits, security protections, and reliability improvements are too significant to ignore.
For Irish businesses serving global audiences — or just wanting the fastest possible experience for local visitors — a CDN should be on your priority list. For the complete picture on WordPress performance, see our speed guide and Core Web Vitals guide.