GTmetrix is a popular online tool for analyzing the performance of a website, including its loading speed. One common optimization technique suggested by GTmetrix and other performance analysis tools is to remove query strings from your resource URLs, especially for static assets like CSS and JavaScript files. Query strings are appended to URLs like `?ver=1.2.3` and are often used for versioning or caching purposes. Removing query strings can help improve cacheability and reduce potential bottlenecks in loading your web pages. Here’s how you can remove query strings:
**1. WordPress:**
If you’re using WordPress, many scripts and stylesheets are enqueued with query strings for versioning. You can remove them using the following methods:
**a. Using a Plugin:**
There are WordPress plugins like “Remove Query Strings From Static Resources” that can help you achieve this without much technical knowledge.
**b. Code Snippet in functions.php:**
You can also remove query strings by adding the following code to your theme’s `functions.php` file:
function remove_query_strings() {
if (!is_admin()) {
add_filter('script_loader_src', 'remove_query_strings_filter', 15);
add_filter('style_loader_src', 'remove_query_strings_filter', 15);
}
}
function remove_query_strings_filter($src) {
$parts = explode('?', $src);
return $parts[0];
}
add_action('init', 'remove_query_strings');
**2. Non-WordPress Websites:**
For non-WordPress websites, you can do it at the server level or through code, depending on your setup.
**a. Server-Level Configuration:**
You can configure your web server (e.g., Apache, Nginx) to rewrite URLs and remove query strings. Below are examples for Apache and Nginx:
**For Apache:**
In your `.htaccess` file, add the following rules:
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/your-excluded-path/
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} .
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ $1? [R=301,L]
</IfModule>
Replace `/your-excluded-path/` with the path that should not have query strings removed.
**For Nginx:**
In your Nginx configuration file, you can use a location block like this:
location ~ ^/your-excluded-path/ {
# Your location-specific configuration here
}
location ~ \?(.*)$ {
return 301 $uri;
}
**b. Code-Level:**
If you prefer a code-level solution, you can modify your website’s HTML or CMS templates to load resources without query strings. For example, change this:
<script src="script.js?ver=1.2.3"></script>
to this:
<script src="script.js"></script>
Ensure that this change is made for all your resources, both in HTML templates and CSS/JavaScript files.
Remember to back up your website and test any changes in a staging environment before applying them to your live site to avoid potential issues.
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