GTMetrix shows long "Blocking" wait times in waterfall for CSS, JS, and images

In testing my new WordPress site I’ve uncovered a strangely persistent issue affecting load times.

The GTMetrix waterfall (data from Honza’s HTTP Archive Viewer) shows “Blocking” as the major time drag on loading for CSS, JS, PNG, and JPG files.

I’ve tried all the optimization methods recommended in the GTMetrix PageSpeed and YSlow reports:
– Plugins to Minify JS and CSS, Defer JS parsing, Reduce image sizes, and Cache
– .htaccess modifications for Browser Caching, gzip compression, and Expires Headers

I’ve also migrated from shared MySQL to a VPS MySQL database at my host.

Still this problem.

To see if it was just my site, I did GTMetrix test on other Enfold sites found in the “Enfold Showcase” thread.
Many show the same issue. For example:
– chinastages.nl
– jeanpaulosteen.com

And some do not. Example:
– orangeamps.com

Also included my site URL in Private Content below.

BTW, there is SSL sitewide, so https is forced on all pages.

I am out of ideas what to try next so I am turning to my Enfold friends!

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
D

• This topic was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by sdigit. Reason: added note abt SSL