Achieving a high Google PageSpeed score is crucial for enhancing user experience and improving your site's search engine ranking. This guide will walk you through the steps necessary to optimize your website's speed using Ezoic's Leap, a comprehensive site speed solution. From integrating with the Ezoic platform to activating your new Leap version, each section will provide detailed instructions to help you boost your PageSpeed Insights score. Follow along to ensure your website loads quickly and efficiently, satisfying Google's performance criteria.

1. Integrate with the Ezoic Platform

There are three integration methods that will allow you to use Leap:

• Cloudflare
• Name Servers
• WordPress Plugin

To access all of the features of Leap, it's recommended that sites integrate via Name Servers or Cloudflare. While the WordPress plugin provides access to some Leap tools, it adds additional load time that may not be optimal for achieving the highest scores in Google. If you're looking to improve site speed performance, we highly recommend using Name Server or Cloudflare integration in the long term.

2. Turn on Leap for all devices

To enable Leap, go to the Leap menu of your dashboard and turn on the speed functionality for all device types. Simply click the toggles next to each device to activate.

3. Create a new Leap version

Leap uses a versioning system that enables you to create different sets of speed features for testing. Experimentation is at the core of Ezoic's values, and the versioning system enables you to try out different configurations to determine what works best for your site. To create a new version, simply click the 'Get Started' button here:

4. Choose the settings you'd like to implement on your site

You can turn the main category toggles on or off, and also customize individual settings using the tick boxes. To edit these settings, simply scroll down or use the Advanced Settings option for additional options such as Exclusion Rules.

IMPORTANT: Make sure caching is activated if you use the Ezoic caching features or Ezoic’s CDN.

5. Preview your site to make sure everything looks good

Once you create your version, you should preview it to see how it looks on your site. During the preview, you can browse your site as usual and look for any issues. A green dot in the top right corner will indicate that you're in preview mode, and you can use the 'Exit' option to return to a normal session on your site. When previewing your version, be sure to check that:

• All ads display properly
• Menus and images function correctly
• User functionality, such as search queries or posting comments, works as expected

Clicking on the green dot will provide more information about the features you're previewing and the option to exit the preview and return to your unoptimized site.

IMPORTANT: Ads should display as usual, and all other aspects of the page should look the same. If this is not the case, you may need to try a different version with slightly different settings. Be sure to let Ezoic know in the feedback area if you encounter any issues. If a page isn't ready for preview, you'll see a "preview is being generated" page. Once the preview is ready, a link will appear that will take you to it. This process usually takes no more than a minute, so there's no need to worry.

6. Preview your new PageSpeed Insights scores!

That’s right, you don’t even have to activate the version live on your site before you can run it through Google PageSpeed Insights. Just copy the preview URL and paste it into PageSpeed Insights to see the score.

7. Deactivate everything you don't need

Leap is a true one-stop site speed shop that eliminates the need for a laundry list of plugins, widgets, and third-party scripts. To get started, you can remove or disable image or JS optimization plugins and tools that are listed in your Recommendations tab. Many of these plugins or tools can negatively impact the speed optimization of your site when using Leap. Disabling them can help make your site even faster. For recommendations on certified technologies or plugins for your site, please refer to our Certified Seamless page.

8. Activate your new version

If everything looks good and is functioning well in the preview, your version is ready to be activated.

Common issues users may encounter with Leap include:

1. Ads Not Displaying Properly: If during the preview ads do not display as usual, it may be necessary to try a different version with slightly different settings. Ensure that all ads display properly before activating the new version.
2. Menus and Images Not Functioning Correctly: When previewing a new version, check that menus and images function as expected. If there are any issues, adjust the settings accordingly. You may need to try turning off one setting at a time to narrow down which is causing the conflict.
3. User Functionality Issues: Ensure that user functionalities such as search queries or posting comments work correctly during the preview. Any issues found here should be resolved by tweaking the settings.
4. Caching Issues: Make sure that caching is activated if you are using Ezoic caching features or Ezoic’s CDN. This can be crucial for achieving optimal speed performance.
5. Impact of Existing Plugins: Some existing plugins or tools, particularly image or JS optimization plugins, may negatively impact site speed when using Leap if they do the same optimizations that Leap does. Check the Recommendations tab for advice on which plugins to disable.
6. Preview Delays: If a page isn’t ready for preview, a "preview is being generated" page will appear. This process usually takes no more than a minute. If the delay is longer, there might be an issue that needs to be looked into.