Finding the culprit.
WHAT TENDS TO BE HEAVY
Security plugins scanning constantly Related-post plugins querying on every page Statistics plugins recording every visit to the database Backup plugins running during busy periods Page builders Anything polling an external service
THE STATISTICS PLUGIN PROBLEM
Recording every visit to your own database turns every page view into a database write.
Use an external analytics service instead.
HOW TO IDENTIFY ONE
Deactivate, observe, reactivate.
Or a query-monitoring plugin showing what runs and how long it takes.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FIND IT
Check whether it can be configured to do less Check whether a lighter alternative exists Remove it if it is not earning its cost
THE SCANNING PLUGIN POINT
Continuous file scanning is expensive.
Schedule it to run occasionally rather than constantly.
FOR BACKUP PLUGINS
Schedule outside busy periods.
WHAT TO AUDIT
Every plugin, twice a year. Remove what you cannot justify.
