Gonzales 2.3 – Speeding up WordPress with Gonzales plugin
Description
Gonzales is a lightweight WordPress plugin designed to speed up page loads by conditionally loading assets per page. Instead of serving every theme and plugin file everywhere, it removes unused CSS, JavaScript, and even entire plugins from the HTML output when they’re not needed.
This helps solve a common performance issue caused by themes, page builders (such as Elementor), and plugins that register CSS/JS globally. Gonzales focuses on excluding unnecessary files from what the browser receives, rather than only relying on merging or compression.
It’s safe to test: if anything affects layout or functionality, you can disable Gonzales to return to the original, unoptimized version. It’s also built to work alongside popular WordPress optimization tools, so you can combine strategies for stronger results.
Main Features
- Conditional CSS loading — Loads only the stylesheet files required for the current page.
- Conditional JavaScript loading — Prevents unnecessary JS from being included in the page HTML.
- Conditional plugin activation per page — Disables specific plugins where they’re not needed to reduce extra requests.
- Removes useless assets registered by themes — Targets the unused CSS/JS that themes register by default.
- Removes useless assets registered by plugins — Helps cut down extra requests created by third-party functionality.
- Safe optimization switch — Disable Gonzales to revert to the original, unoptimized asset behavior.
- Lightweight approach — Focuses on excluding unneeded files without heavy overhead.
- Plays well with caching/minify tools — Complements tools like Cache Enabler, W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, and WP Rocket.
Benefits
- Faster initial loading — Fewer CSS/JS requests reduce time to render usable content.
- Better UX — Pages feel more responsive when unnecessary scripts don’t load.
- Cleaner page output — Excluding assets from HTML avoids masking problems caused by global registrations.
- Improved conversion chances — Faster product and checkout pages can support higher engagement.
- Works with existing optimization — Integrates with caching/minification workflows instead of replacing them.
- Safer testing process — Easy enable/disable supports quick before/after checks.
Who is it suitable for?
- WooCommerce stores that want leaner storefront and checkout pages.
- WordPress sites using Elementor or similar page builders.
- Blog and content sites with multiple page types and layouts.
- Agencies managing performance for multiple WordPress client projects.
- Template-kit and theme-heavy websites with globally registered assets.
- Developers seeking a developer-friendly, conditional optimization workflow.
