How to Configure an Origin-Pull CDN with WordPress and Voxel

In this hub, I'll explain how to setup your WordPress blog with an origin-pull CDN. I will assume, for the simplicity of this article, that you are using Voxel. Setup instructions may be slightly different (but easy to follow) for other CDN providers.

This hub is an extension of another hub that emphasizes the importance of one of the many Google search ranking signals: site speed. If you're interested in reading it for more detailed information, feel free to check it out.

How to Speed Up Your Website: Search Engine Optimization with a Content Delivery Network and Pingdom

When you register for a Voxel CDN, they will send you an address that you will want to add as a CNAME to your domain. This will let me point my subdomain "cdn.natalietran.me" to Voxel's servers, which is "4322.voxcdn.net" for me. You will need to add this to wherever your DNS is hosted, usually by your domain name registrar or your web host. Remember to use the domain provided by your CDN provider and not mine.

Then go to the Voxel Portal and log in. Click Configure beside your CDN, then click Additional Hostnames. When you added the CNAME, remember the subdomain you used? You need to add that here. If you used "cdn.domain.com" simply add that (replace with your domain) in that field. Remember that these changes can take several hours before they take effect. It's best to wait a few hours before continuing to ensure that your site isn't temporarily broken for some visitors. During this time, you should go over your settings to ensure they're all configured properly.

OSSDL CDN Off-Linker is a WordPress plugin that makes setting up an origin-pull CDN unbelievably easy. Once you have installed it and activated it, proceed to the configuration page located under Settings > OSSDL CDN off-linker.

To the right, I have attached a screenshot of how mine is configured. If you used the "cdn.*" subdomain, then you should configure yours the same way. Remember to change the domain.

Now this is the most important step. You need to go and verify that your website works. If it doesn't, you may have not performed step 1 correctly or the subdomain may still be propagating. In either case, deactivate the plugin to fix your website.

If you use a caching plugin, remember to clear the cache when activating and deactivating plugins.

After a few hours, try again. If things are working, great! Your website is now multiples faster than it used to be, and you didn't even do much work.

If things still don't work, you may want to contact Voxel (or your CDN provider) to ask for assistance. They will more than likely be more than happy to find and fix the problem.