Knowledgebase

Improving Page Load Consistency with LiteSpeed Crawler (Firstserv Guide)

You may occasionally notice that your website takes longer to load on the first visit, even when using a caching plugin. This is usually due to how caching works.

Why Does This Happen?

Caching works by:

• Generating a stored (“cached”) version of a page when it is first requested
• Serving that cached copy to future visitors for faster load times

However, if a page hasn’t been visited recently:

• The cache may expire
• The next visitor must regenerate the page, which takes longer

During quieter periods, this can lead to inconsistent performance, where some visitors experience slower load times.

Solution: Use the LiteSpeed Crawler

The LiteSpeed Crawler solves this by automatically:

• Visiting your pages in the background
• Generating fresh cached versions
• Keeping your site “pre-warmed” for visitors

This ensures that users are almost always served a cached version of your pages.

Availability

⚠️ The LiteSpeed Crawler is available on Firstserv Business Hosting plans (Emerald and above).

How to Set Up the LiteSpeed Crawler

Step 1: Access Crawler Settings

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard
2. Navigate to LiteSpeed Cache → Crawler

Step 2: Configure Your Sitemap

1. Open the Sitemap Settings tab
2. Enter your sitemap URL

Common Examples:

• Default WordPress:

  https://yourdomain.com/wp-sitemap.xml
  

• All in One SEO:

  https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
  

• Rank Math:

  https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml
  

Step 3: Enable the Crawler

1. Go to the General Settings tab
2. Set the crawler to ON

Step 4: Generate the Crawler Map

1. Open the Map tab
2. Click Refresh Crawler Map

This builds a list of URLs the crawler will visit.

Step 5: Start the First Crawl

1. Go to the Summary tab
2. Click Manually Run

✅ This will begin the initial crawl.

What to Expect

• The first crawl processes all pages and may take several hours
• During this time, benefits may not be immediately noticeable

Once complete:

• Future crawls only target:
  • Pages without cache
  • Pages with expiring cache

✅ This keeps your entire site continuously optimised.

Benefits of Using the LiteSpeed Crawler

• Consistent fast load times for all visitors
• Reduced delays on first page visits
• Improved performance during low-traffic periods
• Better user experience across your site

Summary

If you experience slow initial page loads despite caching:

• It’s likely caused by expired or missing cache
• The LiteSpeed Crawler automatically pre-builds cache for your pages
• This ensures fast performance for every visitor, every time

If you need help enabling or optimising the LiteSpeed Crawler, the Firstserv support team is always happy to assist.