Boost Your WordPress.com Site: Integrating Cloudflare for Enhanced Performance and Security

Integrating WordPress.com with Cloudflare

Getting Started:

Cloudflare and WordPress.com have teamed up to enhance your website with Cloudflare’s security and performance features. Here’s how to get started:

1. Add Your Site to Cloudflare:
   • Create a Cloudflare account and add your WordPress site. For guidance, check out “Creating a Cloudflare account and adding a website.”
   • Cloudflare will scan and display your WordPress.com DNS records, which you’ll need to update as follows for optimal performance.
2. Update DNS Records:
   • Find your WordPress domain (formatted like examplecom.wordpress.com) on the WordPress.com Manage Domains page.
   • Verify the domain by entering it in your browser.
   • Replace A records with a CNAME record pointing to your examplecom.wordpress.com domain.
   • Remove any existing A records.

Completing DNS Setup:

Once you’ve updated your DNS records, your site will enjoy accelerated performance and enhanced security thanks to Cloudflare.

Enabling Cloudflare Web Analytics

Cloudflare’s Privacy-First Analytics:

1. Setup on Cloudflare:
   • Go to your Cloudflare dashboard, and under the Account menu, select “Web Analytics.”
   • Enter your domain (e.g., example.com) and follow the steps to obtain a JavaScript snippet.
2. Integration with WordPress:
   • In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Tools > Marketing.
   • Find the Cloudflare section and paste the JavaScript snippet into the Tracking ID field.
   • Enable the tracking feature.

Your WordPress.com site will now automatically track and display analytics in your Cloudflare dashboard.

Automatic Platform Optimization (APO) for WordPress.com

Speed Up Your Site with APO:

• Requirements: Cloudflare’s APO requires a Cloudflare Free plan with an APO add-on or a Pro/Business plan, and a WordPress.com Business plan or higher.

1. Installation:
   • Install or update the Cloudflare WordPress plugin to version 3.8.2 or higher.
   • Authenticate the plugin with Cloudflare.
2. Activation:
   • Enable Automatic Platform Optimization from the Cloudflare section in your WordPress dashboard.

APO intelligently caches dynamic content, significantly improving your site’s performance.

Troubleshooting

• Verify Cloudflare as DNS Provider: Use dnschecker.org to confirm that Cloudflare’s nameservers are set for your domain.
• Check APO Status: Run a cURL command in the terminal to check APO’s operational status and confirm cache hits.
• Confirm APO and WordPress Integration: Make a change on your WordPress site and verify that the change reflects with a cached page status.

By following these steps, you can enhance your WordPress.com site’s performance and security while gaining access to privacy-focused analytics and easy-to-use optimization tools.

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