Key points
Dedicated VPS hosting : We use OVH VPS for its reliability, flexibility and above all the exceptional quality of its CPUs and disks. For large sites, we switch to dedicated OVH, because the cloud is cool but too expensive.
Server configuration : Nginx, Redis, PHP-FPM and real cron jobs for optimum speed. Empty caches in the right order, Redis > Elementor > FlyingPress > BunnyCDN/Cloudflare, to avoid weird bugs. Same server for staging : we always keep power on hand, crucial for avoiding stack/config surprises.
Why FlyingPress? It integrates perfectly with Redis, and handles caching, minification and lazy loading. We avoid LiteSpeed because of past stability problems.
Cloudflare/BunnyCDN configuration : Geo-blocking, rate limiting and WordPress settings recommended to boost speed and filter out crappy traffic. BunnyCDN is often preferred: more powerful and much cheaper than Cloudflare's $200 Pro version, which is no longer worth much in the face of the competition. Above all, never use APO in e-commerce, as it's dangerous with poorly managed session cookies.
Concrete safety : No wp-admin for our customers + VPN required for login. Restrictive? Yes. But in terms of security, it's rock solid!
Contents
[OVH dedicated VPS, Our reliable choice].
[Config server, Nginx + Redis = Speed]
[Cache & speed plugins]
[Cloudflare/BunnyCDN, More than DNS]
[Other optimizations & best practices]
We've worked on quite a few Elementor sites, and we can see the appeal: easy to learn, perfect for building pages quickly, hyper-flexible for most users. But let's be clear, it's not the lightest tool in the game. It can really take a toll on performance if you don't have the right setup behind it. That's why we don't use it on every project. When we do, it's because it's right for the customer, and that's when we make sure that everything under the hood is ready to take the strain.
Over the years, we've managed tons of Elementor sites, some we've built, some we've scavenged, and performance issues are our number one headache. We've seen more magnificent sites with slow loading times than we'd like. So we've put together a reference technical stack that keeps Elementor sites fast, secure and fluid.
If you're sure Infomaniak in Switzerland, you're already well on your way, it's solid and local. But if you want full control and a bit more horsepower under the hood, here's exactly how we configure our stack.
VPS dedicated OVH, Our reliable choice
We love it OVH VPS because it's mastered, it's reliable and it gives you total control. Period.
We typically launch a VPS with :
Debian 12 or 13 (the current stable release)
At least 6 vCPUs and 12 GB RAM for all sites
Large sites : dedicated OVH, Cloud is good, but too expensive. For €500/month we have a war machine, the same in the cloud would cost us €2500/month for our customers.
Same server for staging we always size with margin. For us, this is non-negotiable: same stack/config = zero surprises in production.
Need more storage? We attach OVH Volumes and even move MySQL databases to them for customers with massive datasets. This isolates heavy DB workloads and keeps everything fluid.
Config server, Nginx + Redis = Speed
We don't touch Apache. Nginx is our web server of choice. Faster, better able to handle high competition.
We also add :
Redis for object cache
PHP-FPM tuned for site load
MariaDB or MySQL, customer's choice
Real cron jobs (not the crappy wp-cron)
An important point: with Redis, FlyingPress, Elementor's internal cache and BunnyCDN/Cloudflare in the mix, you have to be careful with the cache layers. Emptying a single layer isn't enough. You need the precise order: Redis > Elementor > FlyingPress > BunnyCDN/Cloudflare. It saves a lot of trouble and keeps everything clean.
Cache & speed plugins
We put FlyingPress on every site. Yeah, it's not free. Yeah, it's worth it.
It manages :
Page cache
Minification
Lazy loading
DB cleaning
Preloading
And since Redis takes care of the heavy object cache, FlyingPress concentrates on the rest. They're a perfect match.
We also activate GZIP or Brotli compression, depending on support, and disable emojis, embeds and other unnecessary WordPress fluff.
Many people ask us about LiteSpeed Cache, but it requires a LiteSpeed server, and we've had stability problems with it. Not worth it for us, we're sticking to the reliable stuff.
Cloudflare/BunnyCDN, More than DNS
Cloudflare isn't just for speeding up DNS (although that's great). We configure it on all Elementor sites for an extra layer of performance and security. BunnyCDN is often our go-to: far more powerful and less expensive than Cloudflare's 200-bucks Pro, which holds its own against the competition.
Here's what we do:
Recommended WordPress settings
Geo-blocking: we block regions that are useless for our biz. No need for random traffic from the ends of the earth eating up server resources.
Firewall rules and rate limiting to get rid of bad bots
For fancy, APO (Automatic Platform Optimization) can help... but never for e-commerce. Too risky with poorly managed session cookies.
Other optimizations & best practices
A few things we always do:
Latest stable PHP release
Plugin count low, Elementor eats up enough already
MySQL tuning (key buffer, query cache, etc.)
Optim DB regular (transients, revisions, etc.)
Admin & Site Enhancer for all tweaks: disable wp-embed, heartbeats, XML-RPC, emojis, useless REST API, admin bar, etc., all-in-one, clean, zero bloat
Uncompromising safety: No wp-admin access for our customers. Login only via VPN. It's a bit of a pain in the ass on a day-to-day basis, but in terms of security, it's rock-solid.
And we monitor performance closely with tools like Query Monitor and New Relic, especially on complex sites.
A full-stack developer and project manager at Smart Impact, Ben designs and pilots web applications and SaaS tools for the agency's customers.
On a day-to-day basis, he/she supervises developments, structures sprints, arbitrates technical choices and ensures code quality and reliable production releases.
Used to working closely with business teams, he transforms customer needs into concrete, performance-oriented functionalities with measurable results.