Describe the different techniques for minifying CSS and JavaScript files to improve website load times and performance.

Minifying CSS and JavaScript files is a crucial step in optimizing website performance and reducing load times. Minification involves removing unnecessary characters like spaces, comments, and line breaks from code without altering its functionality. This results in smaller file sizes, which reduces the time it takes for browsers to download and parse these resources, thereby improving the overall user experience. Here are the different techniques for minifying CSS and JavaScript files:

1. Removing Whitespace:
Whitespace, such as spaces, tabs, and line breaks, while essential for human readability, are unnecessary for browsers. Minification tools will remove this whitespace from the CSS and JavaScript files. Removing whitespace reduces the file size and is usually the most basic step when minifying code.

Example:
Original CSS:
```css
.container {
margin: 20px;
padding: 10px;
border: 1px solid #ccc;
}
```
Minified CSS:
```css
.container{margin:20px;padding:10px;border:1px solid #ccc;}
```
The minified code has all the whitespaces removed but the CSS functionality is still exactly the same.

2. Removing Comments:
Comments are also useful for developers to document the code, but they are ignored by browsers and unnecessarily increase file size. Minification tools remove all comments from code to save space. For example in CSS, comments start with `/*` and end with `*/`. Minifiers remove these. For JavaScript comments can be denoted with `//` or `/*/`, and all of these comments are removed by minification tools.

Example:
Original JavaScript:
```javascript
// This function adds two numbers
function add(a, b) {
/*
Return sum of a and b
*/
return a + b;
}
```
Minified JavaScript:
```javascript
function add(a,b){return a+b;}
```
All comments are completely removed.

3. Shortening Identifiers:
Minification tools can often shorten the names of variables, functions, and classes to shorter, yet valid, names while preserving their behavior. This reduces the number of characters needed, which significantly decreases file size. It does not impact functionality as the minifier is aware of all the scopes and contexts and changes the variable names throughout the whole file consistently, so the meaning of the code stays the same. This step is not always necessary but can be useful for larger projects.

Example:
Original JavaScript:
```javascript
function calculateTotalAmount(price, quantity) {
let totalAmount = price quantity;
return totalAmount;
}
```
Minified JavaScript:
```javascript
function calculateTotalAmount(p,q){let t=p*q;return t;}
```
The variable names were shortened to `p`, `q` and `t` which reduces the file size.

4. Removing Unnecessary Semicolons and Brackets:
In many cases, semicolons and curly brackets are not necessary in JavaScript. Minification tools remove these where they are not needed. For CSS all semicolons can be removed if it is at the end of each definition in a selector.

Example:
Original JavaScript:
```javascript
function sum(a, b) {
return a + b;
}
```
Minified JavaScript:
```javascript
function sum(a,b){return a+b}
```

5. Using Minification Tools:
Many tools automate the process of minification, both online and as local installations. These tools process the code and output the minified version. They take care of the different techniques and do it systematically. Some common tools include:

Online Tools:
Terser and UglifyJS (JavaScript minifiers).
CSSNano (CSS minifier).
CSSMinifier (Online CSS minifier).
JavaScript Minifier (Online JavaScript minifier).

Local Tools:
Webpack, Parcel, or Rollup (JavaScript module bundlers that can perform minification).
Gulp or Grunt (Task runners that can integrate minification).
Code editors like Visual Studio Code has plugins that can minify the code.
Various command-line minification tools.

6. Plugin Integration:
WordPress plugins such as Autoptimize, WP Rocket, and Asset CleanUp can automatically minify CSS and JavaScript files. These plugins often combine the minification with other optimizations like file concatenation and compression. They can also enable the minified code to be cached. When using a caching plugin make sure that the plugin also does minification to reduce HTTP requests. This process is typically automated within the plugin settings.

7. Server-Side Minification:
Some web servers like Nginx or Apache can be configured to minify assets dynamically. This is usually done by using special modules for the server. This way assets can be minified on the fly.

The benefits of minification include faster loading times, reduced bandwidth usage, lower server load, and improved search engine optimization (SEO). By consistently applying these techniques, developers can deliver a more performant, user-friendly website. It is essential to remember to always keep a backup of original files so you can revert back in case of an issue and always retest your code after minification.