Speed is crucial for retaining users’ attention online. Visitors expect websites to load instantly, and as technology advances, the definition of “instant” becomes even stricter. However, many websites still struggle with slow loading times.
One potential reason for these delays is a poorly optimized database. The database stores all your important information, including posts, pages, user data, and settings. Over time, it can become cluttered with unnecessary data such as spam comments, post revisions, and other digital debris. This extraneous data (like deleted posts, stored revisions, and orphaned metadata from deleted plugins) occupies space and slows down your site. As the database bloats, your site’s load time increases, frustrating visitors, raising bounce rates, and harming your SEO rankings.
This can be detrimental, as even a one-second delay can significantly impact user experience. Research from Thinking With Google indicates that a one-second delay in mobile load times can drop down conversion rates by up to 20%.
Fortunately, a clean and optimized database can help your website perform better. In this guide, we’ll explore your WordPress database and the tools you need to declutter, optimize, and enhance your site’s performance through database optimization techniques.
Three Techniques of WordPress Database Optimization
Regardless of how you conduct database optimization, there’s always a risk of accidentally deleting valuable data your website needs. Having a fresh database backup ensures you can easily restore everything if something goes wrong.
Creating this backup is simpler than you might think, especially if you’re a Nestify user! Here’s how to run an on-demand backup using the Nestify dashboard:
Steps:
1. Click on Manage Sites on the left panel.
2. In the production/staging site, click on Backups
3. Enter a name for the backup
4. A new section of Backups is created with the backup details below.
Once the backup is created, it displays four options:
• Download
• Restore
• Restore to another site
Click the requisite option to perform the following actions:
- Download: It downloads the backup by providing the backup link, valid for 24 hours
- Restore on the same site: It overwrites the contents of the site with the backup data. Proceed with this step if you are very sure to restore, as restoring is an irreversible process
- Restore on another site: It restores the backup on another site. You may select the requisite site to restore the backup on
The copy of the backup of the filesystem and database is stored on Amazon S3. An Nginx config is also backed up, thus in case of complete data loss (in case of deleted data, file crash, etc.), it can restore the site completely.
With your data now protected, you can focus on optimizing your database. We’ll explore three methods: using a plugin, leveraging WordPress’s Repair Database function, and manually optimizing your database via phpMyAdmin. Each method suits different skill levels, but all promise to speed up your site and eliminate excess or unused data.
1. Using a Database Optimization Plugin
For business owners seeking to optimize their WordPress databases without technical hassle, database optimization plugins offer an accessible and effective solution. These tools are particularly valuable for those uncomfortable with diving into website files or database management. By using a plugin, you can administer the optimization process and maintain your site’s performance with minimal effort.
Two highly recommended plugins for database optimization are WP-Optimize and Advanced Database Cleaner. These plugins are user-friendly and packed with features to help you maintain a speedy and efficient WordPress site.
WP-Optimize Plugin Features:
• Database Optimization: Cleans and optimizes your WordPress database by getting rid of the unnecessary data, such as post revisions, auto-draft posts, trashed posts, spam, and trashed comments, speeding up your site and saving server resources.
• Scheduled Cleanups: Allows you to set up automatic cleanups at regular intervals (daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly) to ensure your database stays optimized without manual intervention.
• Flexibility and Control: The premium version lets you optimize individual tables or a combination of tables on one or more WordPress websites, giving you greater control over your optimization process.
• Power Tweaks: Offers unique features like a turbo boost for WooCommerce, replacing slow queries with more efficient ones, and an option to enhance performance by indexing the postmeta table.
Advanced Database Cleaner Plugin Features:
• Comprehensive Database Cleanup: Removes old revisions, spam comments, and orphaned metadata.
• Scheduled Database Optimization: Automates cleanup tasks to run at specific intervals.
• Database Table Management: Optimizes and repairs tables for efficient performance.
• Multisite Support: Cleans up and optimizes databases across your entire network.
• User-Friendly Interface: Provides an easy way to view and manage data to be cleaned up.
Both WP-Optimize and Advanced Database Cleaner simplify the process of database optimization, making it accessible even for users with limited technical knowledge. By installing these plugins, you can boost your site’s speed and performance, ensuring a better experience for your visitors.
2. Using an SFTP Client
WordPress offers a built-in database optimization and repair solution through its Repair Database function, which is accessible by tweaking your wp-config.php file. This method provides a quick and automatic database update, ensuring the safety of your WordPress files and preventing accidental deletion of vital data.
However, it’s important to note that while this database optimization process is fully automated and relatively straightforward, it may not be suitable for making granular changes to your database.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to implementing this method:
- Connect to Your Website’s Server: Use an SFTP client like FileZilla or CyberDuck to connect to your website’s server.
- Download the wp-config.php File: Locate and download the wp-config.php file from your WordPress website’s root directory.
- Edit the File: Open the wp-config.php file with a text editor and locate the line that says:
/* Add any custom values between this line and the “stop editing” line. */
- Add the Repair Code: After that line, add the following code:
define( 'WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true );- Remove the Code After Use: Remember to remove this code after completing the repair and optimization to prevent unauthorized access to the repair screen.
By following these steps, you can utilize WordPress’s built-in tool to optimize and repair your database quickly and safely.
3. Manually Via phpMyAdmin
phpMyAdmin allows users to perform automatic site optimizations and granular manual optimizations.
Accessing your site’s database might seem daunting, but it’s straightforward for Nestify users, who can access phpMyAdmin from the Nestify control panel.
Here’s how to optimize your database via phpMyAdmin:
Step #1: Access phpMyAdmin
- Click on Manage Sites on the left panel.
- Click on production or staging, it will redirect you to the dashboard. It displays the site details on the screen. The database credentials are under the “Site Information” section.
- Copy the credentials of username and password of Database information.
- In the production site, click phpMyAdmin. It redirects you to the phpMyAdmin login.
- Enter the credentials of the username and password that you copied & click go.
It logs you into the phpMyAdmin dashboard.
Step #2: Select Your Database: In phpMyAdmin, navigate to the Database tab and choose your WordPress site’s database.
Step #3: Choose Tables to Optimize: Use the checkboxes to select all tables associated with your WordPress site.
Step #4: Optimize Tables: From the dropdown menu at the bottom of the table list, select Optimize table(s).
Step #5: Execute Optimization: Confirm your selection to initiate the optimization process. phpMyAdmin will execute the optimization and display a status message.
Step #6: Confirmation: Once the process is complete, you’ll receive a confirmation message indicating that your SQL query has been successfully executed.
By following these steps in phpMyAdmin, you can manually optimize your WordPress database to improve site performance efficiently.
Conclusion
Optimizing your database is a crucial step toward enhancing your website’s speed and overall performance. Each method listed above contributes to streamlining data management and improving user experience. By regularly maintaining and optimizing your database, you not only ensure faster load times but also lessen the risk of technical glitches that could affect your site’s functionality. Invest the time in optimizing your database today to reap the long-term benefits of a faster, more efficient website tomorrow.
FAQs
Can database optimization improve SEO rankings?
Yes, faster loading times contribute positively to SEO rankings. Search engines like Google give priority to user experience, including page load speed, in their ranking algorithms. Optimizing your database can lead to improved site speed, lower bounce rates, and, ultimately, higher SEO rankings.
What are the risks of database optimization?
While database optimization is generally safe, there’s a risk of accidentally deleting critical data if not done correctly. It’s crucial to back up your database before optimization and use reputable tools or plugins that provide safety measures to avoid data loss.
How can I check if my database needs optimization?
You can monitor your site’s performance using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix, which provide insights into page load times. Additionally, if your site experiences slow loading times or frequent downtime, it may be a sign that database optimization is needed.
Is it necessary to optimize the database if I use managed WordPress hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting providers often include automated backups and some level of database optimization. However, performing regular manual optimizations can still be beneficial to ensure peak performance and prevent potential issues.
