What is GZIP?
GZIP is a form of compression that the server applies to HTML, CSS, and JS files before sending them to the browser. The browser uncompresses them instantly. The result: files up to 70% smaller traveling over the internet, pages that load faster.
Check if GZIP is already active
Go to giftofspeed.com/gzip-test, enter your URL, and check if GZIP is enabled. On PlatiniumHost, it's usually active by default.
Manually enable GZIP via .htaccess
If you need to enable it manually, open your .htaccess file in public_html and add:
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css text/javascript
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript application/x-javascript
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/json application/xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE image/svg+xml
</IfModule>
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css text/javascript
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript application/x-javascript
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/json application/xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE image/svg+xml
</IfModule>
Enable browser caching too
Combine GZIP with browser caching for maximum impact. Also add to your .htaccess:
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
ExpiresActive On
ExpiresByType image/jpg "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType image/webp "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 month"
</IfModule>
ExpiresActive On
ExpiresByType image/jpg "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType image/webp "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 month"
</IfModule>
✅ Result: With GZIP + browser caching enabled, returning visitors will see your site load almost instantly as the files are saved on their device.