How Can I Make WordPress Administration Faster?

Website speed is a frequently discussed topic. When we say "website speed", we mean two things: speed of the frontend, which is the part of the website that is visible to the visitors, and speed with which the content of a website can be edited and changed in the administration dashboard. Both of them can be slowed down or otherwise disrupted by various factors. In this article, we will talk about the things that usually slow down the WordPress administration and about methods to speed it up.

The installation of WordPress shouldn’t normally take long. If it does (and if your internet connection isn’t normally slow), you should contact your web hosting provider. Active24 provides a one-click installation, so installing WordPress should be a seamless and simple process.

Before you try to fix the slow speed of your WordPress, you need to find out the root of the problem. Have your been experiencing this issue for a long time or did it occur following the installation of certain plug-ins or recent changes of settings or updates of the web?

Slow WordPress administration following an installation of a plug-in

If your WordPress administration slowed down after a recent installation of a plug-in, the solution is quite simple, since it suggests that the plug-in is most likely the cause of your problem.

When the issue occurs immediately after installing a plug-in, there are several things you can do:

  1. Download all available updates of the plug-in and see if one of them solves the problem.
  2. If you need the functionality of the plug-in, not the plug-in itself, find a suitable alternative.
  3. Ask yourself if the functionality you get with the plug-in outweighs the discomfort that comes with low speed. If it does, find out what causes the low speed (such as wrong configuration of the plug-in) and try to fix it by following these steps:

1. Update WordPress and plug-ins

The developers of extensions try to keep up with any updates of the CMS. Therefore, whenever a new version is released, most of the plug-ins have a new update too. It’s a way to adapt to any changes and improvements made in WordPress.

Sometimes you update a plug-in while still using an outdated version of WordPress. In those cases, you can fix this problem by simply updating your WordPress. Similarly, if you update your WordPress but not your plug-ins, you could have the same problem. Installing updates should solve both of these situations.

2. Temporarily disable caching and change its settings

If you use caching plug-ins such as WP Rocket, WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache, disable them for a while. If the problem persists, you can turn them on again.

Plugin Total Cache

If disabling the plug-in solved the problem, try changing the cache settings. Enabled object cache is, for example, one of the most common causes of this problem In W3 Total Cache. By turning it off in the settings, you could fix the problem.

3. Upgrade your PHP version

If your web hosting package or server allows this option, consider upgrading to a new version of PHP. WordPress runs on PHP and newer versions are not only faster, but also more secure.

Modern hosting providers allow their users to simply switch between various PHP versions directly in the control panel of the user interface. With other providers, you will need to contact their customer support. Be sure to ask for the 7.2 version or greater.

Nastavení verze PHPAccording to WordPress data, many websites are still using the 5.6 version of PHP, despite the fact that the tests have shown that the 7.2 version can handle up to 3 times more requests than 5.6, as shown in the image below. Upgrading to a newer version of PHP could thus be the best way to speed up your WordPress.

Novější verze PHP obslouží více systémových požadavků

4. Increase the memory limit in PHP

WordPress could also be slowed down due to low PHP limit. Increasing the limit can, in some cases, lead to better speed. If your web hosting provider allows it, add the following line to the wp-config.php file:

define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’);

If your web hosting provider doesn’t allow it, contact their customer support.

5. Clean the WordPress and Woocommerce database

The WordPress database gets bigger over time as it accumulates all kinds of useless stuff, such as spam, deleted comments, or versions of already published posts. You can delete these records and free up some space in the database.

To clean the database, we recommend using a free plug-in called WP Optimize. You could also clean the database with WP Rocket, if you have it installed. Before you start the cleaning, make sure you do a Backup of WordPress websites.

  1. In the WordPress Dashboard, click on “Plug-ins” in the left sidebar and then “Add new”.
  2. Write “WP Optimize” in the search box.
  3. Click on “Install”.
  4. Once the installation is done, activate the plug-in by clicking on “Activate”.
  5. Finally go to the tab called “Database” where you can carry out the optimization.

Plugin WP-Optimize

6. Consider switching to a web hosting that is adapted for WordPress

If none of the steps above worked, you should consider increasing your server’s capacity. You might increase the parameters of your web hosting for only one week and if you are satisfied with the results, negotiate a long-term solution with your web hosting provider. Active24 provides web hosting services are adapted for WordPress, so you shouldn’t encounter any of the problems described above. If, however, such a problem occurs, you can rely on the members of our support team, who have enough expertise and experience to find the best solution.

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