Finding the cause.
CHECK THE OBVIOUS FIRST
Is caching enabled and working What PHP version How many plugins
CHECK TRAFFIC
Raw access logs show every request.
Compare against analytics, which counts only humans.
The gap is bots.
CHECK SCHEDULED JOBS
Compare resource spikes against your cron schedule.
CHECK FOR RUNAWAY PROCESSES
cPanel may show current processes.
Anything running far longer than expected is worth investigating.
CHECK RECENT CHANGES
Did this start after installing something, after an update, or after a content change?
THE MOST COMMON CAUSES ON SMALL SITES
No caching Bot traffic A heavy plugin A backup running at a bad time
WHAT TO DO WITH A SUSPECT PLUGIN
Deactivate it, watch usage, reactivate.
Tedious and conclusive.
WHAT TO TELL US
What you found, so we do not repeat the work.
