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Wordpress Development

Why and how to clean up your wp-head

August 21, 2023 October 18th, 2023

When you delve into the source code of a WordPress site, you’ll notice a lot of information between the <head></head> tags. This section, known as wp-head, contains various scripts, meta tags, and links that WordPress and its plugins generate. However, not everything in the wp-head is essential, and some of its elements might even pose security risks or performance issues. In this post, we’ll discuss why you should clean up your wp-head and how to go about doing it.

Why Clean Up wp-head?

  1. Security: Some elements, like the WordPress version number, can give malicious users a hint about potential vulnerabilities if you’re using an outdated version.
  2. Performance: Extra, unnecessary scripts and styles can slow down your website.
  3. Cleaner Code: If you’re a developer or designer, a tidy wp-head makes your source code easier to read and troubleshoot.

Disclaimer: This isn’t a one size fits all, make sure you are not making use of any of the features / functions we will be removing. before doing so.

How to Clean Up wp-head:

1. Remove WordPress Version Number:

Displaying the version of your WordPress can be a security risk. To remove it:

function remove_wp_version() { 
return ''; 
} 

add_filter('the_generator', 'remove_wp_version');

2. Disable Emojis:

If you don’t need emojis, disabling them can reduce the number of HTTP requests, thus slightly improving performance.

function disable_wp_emojicons() { 
emojis.remove_action('admin_print_styles', 'print_emoji_styles');
remove_action('wp_head', 'print_emoji_detection_script', 7);
remove_action('admin_print_scripts', 'print_emoji_detection_script');
remove_action('wp_print_styles', 'print_emoji_styles');
remove_filter('wp_mail', 'wp_staticize_emoji_for_email');
remove_filter('the_content_feed', 'wp_staticize_emoji'); remove_filter('comment_text_rss', 'wp_staticize_emoji');  add_filter('tiny_mce_plugins', 'disable_emojicons_tinymce'); 
}

function disable_emojicons_tinymce($plugins) { 
if (is_array($plugins)) { 
return array_diff($plugins, array('wpemoji')); 
} else { 
return array(); 
} 
} 

add_action('init', 'disable_wp_emojicons');

3. Remove Really Simple Discovery (RSD) Links:

If you’re not integrating your blog with external services or tools, you can safely remove this.

remove_action('wp_head', 'rsd_link');

4. Remove Windows Live Writer Manifest:

Unless you’re using Windows Live Writer, you can remove this.

remove_action('wp_head', 'wlwmanifest_link');

5. Remove Shortlink:

If you don’t use WordPress shortlinks (the ?p=123 format), you can remove the shortlink tag.

remove_action('wp_head', 'wp_shortlink_wp_head');

6. Disable REST API Link Tag:

For added cleanliness, or if you’re not using the WordPress REST API:

remove_action('wp_head', 'rest_output_link_wp_head');

Implementing the Clean-Up:

To apply these changes, add the code snippets to your theme’s functions.php file. However, be cautious:

  • Always back up your website before making changes to functions.php.
  • Consider using a child theme, so updates to your main theme don’t overwrite custom changes.

Conclusion:

Cleaning up your wp-head is a straightforward process that can bolster your site’s security, performance, and cleanliness. While some of these tips offer minor performance gains, collectively they can contribute to a faster, safer, and more streamlined WordPress experience.