WordPress performance from dedicated resources, not shared servers
The single biggest cause of slow WordPress hosting is contention: hundreds of sites fighting for the same CPU. We removed the fight: every site on G7Cloud runs in its own container with resources that belong to it alone.
How it works
Where WordPress speed actually comes from
WordPress speed comes from removing the four things that slow most sites down.
No CPU contention
Your container’s CPU and memory allocation is yours. Another customer’s traffic spike or runaway import job cannot steal cycles from your page renders.
A database of your own
One MariaDB database per site. On shared hosting, a neighbour’s slow query queues yours behind it. Here, your queries only compete with your own.
Modern PHP, your call
PHP 7.4 through 8.4 per site. Recent PHP releases run WordPress significantly faster. Clone your site, test the upgrade, switch when it passes.
Bots never reach PHP
A large share of raw WordPress traffic is bots hammering login and probe URLs. ScaleShield filters that in front of your site, keeping the machines that serve your site for real visitors.
Object caching
Managed Redis for the sites that need it
On every page load, WordPress re-runs many of the same database queries: options, menus, product data. A persistent object cache keeps those results in memory, so repeat queries never hit the database at all. For dynamic sites (WooCommerce, memberships, LMS), it is usually the single most effective server-side optimisation.
- Managed Redis 7 instances: we run and maintain them
- Available as an add-on on Business plans and above
- Pairs with any standard WordPress object-cache plugin
- Managed PostgreSQL 15 also available for custom app workloads
Full-page caching
G7Cloud Cache: whole pages served before PHP starts
G7Cloud Cache keeps full copies of your cacheable pages in front of your site, so a cached page is served in milliseconds without starting PHP or touching your database. Cached page views never reach WordPress at all, and your dedicated resources stay free for the visits that need them: checkout, admin and search.
The refresh is precise. As each page is cached, G7Cloud Cache records what that page displays, so when you edit something, only the pages that actually display it are refreshed, instantly and automatically. The cache never wipes the whole site, and nothing goes stale.
- Edit a menu and only the pages showing that menu refresh
- Carts, checkouts and logged-in visitors are never cached
- No caching plugin to install, no settings to maintain
The two caches do different jobs. The Redis object cache above speeds up the dynamic pages that cannot be cached; G7Cloud Cache removes the cacheable pages from your site's workload entirely. The full mechanism is on the G7Cloud Cache page.
How we serve your site
We don't run a CDN
We run your site on dedicated UK capacity behind ScaleShield: your pages are served from UK hardware that is not shared with other sites, and we set out exactly what that gives you.
If your customers are in the UK, as they are for most of the businesses we host, your pages are served from the same country they are read in, by a container that is not sharing CPU with anyone. That is the measurable foundation of our performance story.
If you serve a genuinely global audience and want edge caching, you can put a third-party CDN in front of your G7Cloud site. Nothing in our platform prevents it, and we will not charge you for the privilege.
Metrics from your own site
Measure your own site: we give you the instruments
Average load-time figures depend on your theme, plugins and content as much as the host, so instead of a headline number we give you the tooling to see exactly how your site behaves on our platform:
- Resource metrics with 90-day retention: CPU and memory per container
- Per-minute uptime checks with response data, alerts and a daily digest
- Site cloning: test a PHP upgrade or caching change on a copy first
- 30-day money-back guarantee: measure it live, risk-free
Related: how we handle WordPress security and maintenance & backups, or the full architecture walkthrough.
WordPress performance FAQ
Do you run a CDN?
No. Instead of caching copies of your site around the world, we give your site dedicated container resources on UK infrastructure behind ScaleShield. For a UK audience, serving directly from UK capacity with no noisy neighbours is a strong position. If your traffic is genuinely global, you can put a third-party CDN in front of your site. Nothing on our side prevents it.
What does "dedicated container resources" mean in practice?
Every site runs in its own container with its own resource allocation. Your PHP workers are not shared with other customers, so another customer’s traffic spike, runaway cron job or badly-written plugin cannot slow your site down. On shared hosting, all of those things routinely do.
Which PHP versions can I run?
PHP 7.4 through 8.4, selectable per site from the dashboard. Recent PHP releases carry substantial performance improvements for WordPress, so being able to upgrade on your own schedule (after testing on a clone) is a real speed lever.
What is the Redis add-on and do I need it?
Redis is an in-memory object cache. WordPress repeats many of the same database queries on every page load; with a persistent object cache those results are served from memory instead. It helps most on sites with heavy dynamic content: WooCommerce, membership and LMS sites. Managed Redis 7 instances are available as an add-on on Business plans and above.
Do I need a caching plugin on G7Cloud?
No. G7Cloud Cache, part of ScaleShield, does full-page caching in front of your site: cached pages are served in milliseconds without starting PHP, and when you edit something only the pages that display the change are refreshed. Carts, checkouts and logged-in visitors are never cached. There is no plugin to configure and no purge button to press.
Do you publish performance benchmarks?
We give you metrics from your own site instead. Site speed depends on your theme, plugins and content, so a universal "0.4s load time" figure would tell you very little about your own site. What we can state factually: your site gets dedicated resources, your database is not shared, ScaleShield keeps bot noise off your PHP workers, and you get 90 days of resource metrics to see exactly how your site behaves.