http request taking too long time waiting for server response
We are using 3rd party website monitoring system to see if certain pages are loading well.
I often see monitor showing up that it took more than 8-9 seconds to load our checkout page as shown picture below:
our website is redirecting from non www to www, and then http to https, so I understand couple redirection can happen. What I don't understand what could be the reason that the page request is taking 2-3 seconds on waiting?
Answer
This commonly happens when you have WordPress Address and Site URLs as non-www and non-https, but redirect in .htaccess, wp-config.php or via a plugin for both www and https. (Or, the host is doing the redirects for you.) You need to configure the WordPress Address and Site URLs for both www and https to avoid the redirects; that's the most inefficient way.
If you do that and set the monitor to request the www and https page, and you still see long TTFB (Time to First Byte) times, it's a slow host.