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Preload, prefetch and prerender are not the same
The word “preload” is often used for any early loading, but the browser hints have different jobs:
| Mechanism | What it loads | Best WordPress use | Main cost or risk |
|---|---|---|---|
rel="preload" |
A resource required by the page currently open, such as a font, stylesheet or hero image. | Speed up a known critical resource on the current page. | Wasted bandwidth and contention if the resource is not used quickly. |
| Prefetch | A likely future document or resource at low priority. | Prepare the next article or page before a visitor clicks. | Requests still consume bandwidth and server/cache capacity when the visitor does not continue. |
| Prerender | A likely future document; the browser may render it and run its JavaScript in advance. | Near-instant navigation for highly predictable next pages. | Higher resource use and possible side effects from JavaScript executed before a click. |
WordPress’s older link[rel="prerender"] value did not provide true prerendering. The newer Speculation Rules API can prerender a document and execute its JavaScript, so it needs stricter URL exclusions.
Use WordPress core on 6.8 and later
WordPress 6.8 introduced speculative loading in core. On a site with pretty permalinks, the default configuration uses conservative prefetching for eligible front-end URLs and logged-out visitors. Visitors using browsers without API support simply receive no speculative benefit.
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What to do
- Update WordPress to 6.8 or a later release and verify that pretty permalinks are enabled under Settings > Permalinks.
- Leave the conservative core behavior enabled initially; no link-by-link markup is required.
- Test from a logged-out session in a Chromium-based browser, then inspect browser network requests as you hover or approach likely links.
- Review server, CDN and cache metrics before changing the mode or eagerness.
In a 2025 WordPress Core Performance Team analysis, speculative loading was associated with an approximately 1.9% median improvement in the Largest Contentful Paint passing rate. That figure is an observed median, not a guarantee for every site or visitor.
Exclude URLs that must never be speculatively requested
Do not let prefetch or prerender reach endpoints that change state, contain private information or depend on a one-time token. Core already excludes /wp-login.php and /wp-admin/*. Add your own exclusions with the wp_speculation_rules_href_exclude_paths filter.
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Example exclusion code
<?php
add_filter( 'wp_speculation_rules_href_exclude_paths', function ( $exclude_paths ) {
$exclude_paths[] = '/cart/';
$exclude_paths[] = '/checkout/';
$exclude_paths[] = '/my-account/';
$exclude_paths[] = '/logout/';
$exclude_paths[] = '/account/';
$exclude_paths[] = '/wp-json/';
$exclude_paths[] = '/*?add-to-cart=*';
return $exclude_paths;
} );Adjust the paths to your site’s actual URLs. Also exclude search, preview, password-reset, form-submission, nonce-bearing and personalized endpoints when their requests can reveal data or trigger an action. Put the code in a site-specific plugin or your theme’s maintained functionality layer, not only in a temporary parent-theme edit.
Tune mode and eagerness only after measuring
Core exposes the wp_speculation_rules_configuration filter. It accepts the mode prefetch or prerender and the eagerness level conservative, moderate or eager. Returning null disables speculative loading for that request.
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Example: moderate prefetch
<?php
add_filter( 'wp_speculation_rules_configuration', function ( $config ) {
$config['mode'] = 'prefetch';
$config['eagerness'] = 'moderate';
return $config;
} );Choosing a setting
- Conservative: the safest starting point; fewer speculative requests.
- Moderate: a broader prediction set, with proportionally higher traffic.
- Eager: the most aggressive behavior; use only when navigation patterns and infrastructure justify it.
- Prefetch: generally the lower-risk mode because it does not render and execute the destination in advance.
- Prerender: reserve for destinations that are highly likely and safe to load before the click.
Speculation can consume origin CPU, CDN capacity and visitor data even when no navigation follows. Compare cache-hit rate, request volume, response time and bandwidth before and after each change. Roll back to conservative prefetch if speculative traffic degrades real requests.
When the Performance Team plugin makes sense
The WordPress Performance Team’s speculative-loading plugin is an alternative when its settings interface or more aggressive defaults fit your workflow. Its documented default is moderate prerendering. The plugin documentation describes support in Chromium-based browsers from version 121; Safari and Firefox ignore the API, so those browsers do not receive the speculative improvement.
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Do not run overlapping configurations blindly. Decide whether core or the plugin owns the rules, then verify the generated configuration and exclusions in the page output and browser developer tools.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use resource hints for external connections
If the delay comes from a third-party origin—such as a font, analytics, video or payment host—speculative navigation is not the right first fix. WordPress’s wp_resource_hints() system can emit hints such as dns-prefetch to resolve a dependency host early. These hints establish or prepare connections; they do not prefetch an internal WordPress document.
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A safe testing checklist
- Test logged-out and logged-in sessions separately; core’s eligible audience is logged out.
- Test Chromium, Safari and Firefox so unsupported browsers are represented in your results.
- Confirm that cart, checkout, account, login, admin, logout, API, nonce and other state-changing URLs are excluded.
- Watch server logs and CDN analytics for speculative requests that never become page views.
- Check JavaScript for side effects when testing prerender: analytics events, mutations, form actions and one-time tokens must not fire early.
- Measure real navigation performance, not just the presence of extra requests; retain the setting only if users gain speed without unacceptable infrastructure cost.
Troubleshooting common problems
No speculative requests appear
Check that the site runs WordPress 6.8 or newer, uses pretty permalinks, the request is logged out, and the browser supports the Speculation Rules API. Safari and Firefox currently ignore the API.
A cart or account URL is being requested
Add the exact path pattern to wp_speculation_rules_href_exclude_paths, clear page/CDN caches, and retest in a fresh private window. Include query-string patterns where actions are encoded in the URL.
Origin traffic rises after enabling it
Reduce eagerness, switch from prerender to prefetch, strengthen caching for public documents, or disable the feature for the affected request by returning null from wp_speculation_rules_configuration. Investigate before increasing limits: speculative requests can be discarded without producing a visit.
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