TL;DR
Excluded URLs allows you to prevent specific pages or paths from being optimized. It’s ideal for pages where performance improvements might interfere with functionality—like login, cart, or checkout pages.
Not every page on your site needs optimization—and for some, it can actually cause problems.
Think about login pages, checkout processes, or admin dashboards. These are highly dynamic and often rely on real-time interactions that can break when caching or optimization kicks in. Learn how Excluded URLs change that to help you speed up your WordPress site.
What are Excluded URLs?
Optimization tools are designed to boost performance across your entire site—but not every page should be treated the same. Some pages are too dynamic, too sensitive, or simply irrelevant from a speed optimization perspective.
That’s where the Excluded URLs setting comes in.
It allows developers or site owners to designate specific pages that should be left completely untouched during performance enhancements like caching, minifying, lazy loading, or preloading.
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With vs Without Excluded Resources (Example)
Let’s say you run an eCommerce store. Your checkout and cart pages are dynamic and personalized per user. Applying full-site optimization could cause these pages to behave unpredictably or display outdated content.
By excluding them, you preserve accuracy and user experience where it matters most.
| Scenario | Without URL Exclusion | With URL Exclusion |
| Checkout or cart pages | May show outdated content | Loads fresh and behaves correctly |
| Admin or login panels | Possible conflicts with JS/CSS | Remains functional and secure |
| Pages with custom tokens or states | Risk of caching sensitive data | Skipped entirely |
| Unimportant pages (e.g. terms) | Wastes optimization effort | Excluded to save resources |
Why Are Excluded URLs Important?
Here’s why having this level of control is valuable:
- Preserve critical functionality—dynamic or user-specific pages remain reliable and predictable.
- Avoid login or session issues—login forms, dashboards, and session-based pages can break when optimized.
- Prevent caching of personalized content—protects sensitive or user-tailored data from being cached and exposed.
Bonus, Excluded URLs help resolve PageSpeed Insights Warnings like Avoid enormous network payloads and Reduce unused JavaScript.
Excluding pages like /cart, /checkout, or /admin helps:
- Focus optimization on high-impact public content
- Reduce false positives in performance audits
- Deliver better Lighthouse scores for the pages that matter most (like your homepage or landing pages)
Excluded URLs by NitroPack Explained
NitroPack lets you set exclusion rules for any URLs you don’t want optimized. You can use exact matches or patterns with wildcards to cover multiple variations.
✍Good to know
NitroPack automatically excludes URLs with session-related data, such as cart and checkout pages.
Example Patterns to Exclude
| Type | Pattern Example |
| Login page | /wp-login.php |
| Admin area | /admin/* |
| Cart or checkout pages | /checkout, /cart* |
| Preview or draft URLs | ?preview=true |
These rules tell NitroPack’s engine: “Skip this page—no caching, no minification, no preloading.”
This control is especially valuable for websites that have:
- WooCommerce stores
- Member areas
- Password-protected content
- Pages in development or testing
NitroPack vs No Resource Exclusion
| Feature | Manual Exclusion Methods | NitroPack Excluded URLs |
| Requires technical setup | ✅ Often | ❌ No |
| Automatic pattern matching | ❌ Limited | ✅ Yes |
| Risk of caching sensitive data | ✅ Higher | ❌ Avoided |
| Easy rule management | ❌ Manual edits | ✅ Dashboard control |
How to Use Excluded Resources by NitroPack
To exclude a URL:
- Open your NitroPack dashboard
- Go to Cache Settings >> Cache
- Enable “Excluded URLs”
- Add your URLs
- Save to apply changes
Also, you can use wildcards to fine-tune what gets excluded.
For a full walkthrough, visit our Excluded URLs guide.
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FAQs
What happens if I don’t exclude these URLs?
NitroPack automatically excludes URLs with session-related data, such as cart and checkout pages, to guarantee that all your money pages are working as expected.
Can I use wildcards?
Yes, wildcards like /cart* or /admin/* are supported.
Does this apply to query strings too?
Absolutely—you can exclude ?preview=true and other dynamic parameters.
What if I accidentally exclude a critical page?
Just remove the rule from your NitroPack dashboard, and the page will be optimized again.
Do I need coding knowledge to use this?
No—it’s all done via a user-friendly interface in your NitroPack dashboard.
