Ah the WordPress admin backend.

It can be a real pain in the neck when it’s slow am I right? It’s like trying to navigate through a molasses swamp especially when you’re on a deadline.

I’ve been there trust me.

But don’t fret we’re gonna dive into the nitty-gritty of fixing that slow admin backend.

Tired of your WordPress admin backend feeling like it’s running on dial-up? 😩 We’ve got the fix! 🚀 Check out this guide to troubleshoot and optimize your admin for a smooth and speedy experience. Learn how to fix your slow WordPress admin backend

Table of Contents

The Culprits Behind a Slow Admin Backend

Think of your WordPress admin backend like a well-oiled machine.

When everything’s running smoothly it’s a joy to use.

But just like any machine it can start sputtering and grinding to a halt if certain parts aren’t functioning optimally.

Hosting: The Foundation of Your Website

Let’s start with the basics – your web host.

It’s the foundation of your entire website and a shaky foundation can lead to all sorts of issues including a sluggish admin backend.

Think of it this way: You wouldn’t try to build a skyscraper on quicksand would you? The same goes for your website.

Cheap hosting often equates to lower quality service which can translate into a slow time to first byte (TTFB) and a sluggish admin backend.

Now I’m not saying you need to go all out and spend a fortune on hosting but it’s important to strike a balance between cost and quality.

You want a host that can handle your traffic and provide you with the resources you need.

Also make sure you’re on the right hosting plan.

Each web host offers a variety of packages each with different amounts of resources and support levels.

If your current plan is too limited for your website’s needs it could be the culprit behind your slow admin backend.

Consider upgrading to a more powerful plan if you suspect this is the problem.

And don’t forget server configuration matters.

If your server isn’t configured properly it can take forever to respond to requests making your admin backend a frustrating experience.

That’s why it’s crucial to go with reputable hosting providers who have the technical expertise to optimize and maintain their servers.

They’ll be sure to keep things running smoothly.

Software Updates: Keeping Your Website Running Smoothly

Just like you wouldn’t use a vintage typewriter to write a novel in the 21st century you shouldn’t run outdated software on your website.

Software updates are crucial for performance security and stability.

They often come with speed improvements bug fixes and new features.

PHP: The Engine of WordPress

PHP is the heart of WordPress.

It’s the programming language that drives the entire system alongside HTML CSS and JavaScript.

If you’re using an outdated version of PHP you’re likely holding your website back from reaching its full potential.

Think of it like trying to drive a car with a flat tire – you can get around but it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

To check your PHP version go to Tools → Site Health → Info and expand the Server tab. You’ll see the version listed there. If you’re using a version older than PHP 7.4 it’s time for an upgrade! Most hosting providers make it easy to upgrade your PHP version through their control panel. Just look for the PHP settings and select the latest version.

WordPress Core: The Foundation of Your Site

Just like updating PHP keeping your WordPress core software up to date is essential.

WordPress gets updated regularly adding new features security enhancements and you guessed it performance improvements.

Every time a new version is released the code gets optimized making your website lighter and faster.

To check for updates go to Dashboard → Updates. Click on Check Again to make sure you’re running the latest version. If you see any updates available don’t hesitate to install them. Remember to always back up your website before installing any updates just in case something goes wrong. And if you’re feeling a little cautious you can always test the update on a staging environment before pushing it to your live site.

Plugins: The Power of Add-ons

Plugins are like little tools that add extra functionality to your WordPress website.

While they can be incredibly useful they can also be a major drain on performance if you’re not careful.

You see some plugins like those that add extra CSS and JavaScript can make your website slow.

Others like page builders and form builders can also contribute to a sluggish admin backend especially if you use too many of them.

The key is to use only the plugins you really need and to avoid using too many of them.

Every plugin adds weight to your website making your server work harder to load everything.

Plus plugins can conflict with each other creating all sorts of performance problems.

So be selective and clean up your plugin list regularly.

The Essential Tools for Fixing Your Slow Admin Backend

now that you understand the main causes of a slow admin backend let’s talk about some of the tools and strategies you can use to fix the problem.

Performance Monitoring: Spotting the Problem Areas

Before you start throwing code at the problem it’s important to figure out where the bottleneck lies.

There are a few tools you can use to help pinpoint the problem areas.

Query Monitor: A Free Solution

Query Monitor is a free plugin that provides you with valuable insights into your website’s performance.

It shows you slow database queries REST API requests AJAX calls and more.

Plus you can often get access to hosting provider information.

New Relic: A Powerful Option

New Relic is a more robust tool that can help you track down performance issues including slow database queries.

While it’s not free it provides a lot of valuable data that can help you identify and resolve bottlenecks.

Error Logs: A Valuable Source of Information

You can also look at your site’s error logs to spot potential performance problems.

Error logs are like little diaries that record any warnings or errors that occur on your website.

To access them you’ll need to enable WordPress debug mode which you can do by adding the following line of code to your wp-config.php file:

define( 'WP_DEBUG' true );

Once debug mode is enabled you’ll see any warnings or errors in the admin dashboard.

These error messages can help you track down the source of your website’s performance problems.

Caching: Speeding Up Your Website

Caching is like creating a copy of your website’s content so it can be served faster.

When someone visits your site the cached version is served which is much quicker than loading everything from scratch.

Most caching plugins target the front end of your website but since they cache dynamic web pages as static HTML pages they can also have a positive effect on your admin backend giving it a performance boost.

Jetpack Boost: A Powerful All-in-One Solution

Jetpack Boost is a comprehensive speed optimization plugin that includes a powerful caching feature.

It gives you fine-grained control over caching allowing you to set your own rules for keeping shopping carts and live feeds interactive and up-to-date.

Plus you can refresh your cache on demand.

Jetpack Boost also offers a range of other speed-focused features such as:

Instant performance score: Provides a quick snapshot of your site’s performance across mobile and desktop devices.
Critical CSS generation: Extracts the necessary CSS to display above the fold ensuring the most important styles load first.
JavaScript deferral: Delays non-essential JavaScript code allowing the browser to focus on loading the HTML first.
Image CDN: Distributes images across multiple servers speeding up delivery and improving performance.
Image optimization: Automatically resizes images and converts them to efficient formats like WebP to reduce file sizes.

WordPress Updates: The Importance of Staying Up-to-Date

As I mentioned before updating your WordPress core software is essential for performance security and stability.

Every update can bring a whole host of improvements including better code optimization.

Plugin Audit: Keeping Your Plugin List Clean

Remember not all plugins are created equal.

Some plugins are notorious for eating up server resources and causing slowdowns.

It’s important to audit your plugin list regularly and remove any plugins you’re not using.

You can manually deactivate each plugin one by one and run a website speed test to see if there’s a noticeable difference.

But I recommend using a plugin like Query Monitor which can help you identify plugins that are consuming a lot of resources.

Once you’ve identified the culprits you can disable them or find a lightweight alternative.

Admin Menu Editor: Cleaning Up Your Dashboard

The Admin Menu Editor is a plugin that lets you hide certain menu items and widgets from the dashboard.

It’s a simple but effective way to free up memory and speed up the admin backend.

Theme Optimization: Choosing the Right Theme

Not all WordPress themes are created equal.

Some themes are optimized for speed and performance while others are filled with fancy features and animations that can slow down your website.

To check if your theme is causing your admin backend to lag switch to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.

If you notice a significant improvement in performance then you’ve likely identified the culprit.

Remember to always switch themes on a staging environment first to avoid any potential compatibility issues.

Database Optimization: Keeping Your Data Clean and Tidy

Over time your WordPress database can become bloated with old posts comments and tables from plugins you no longer use.

This clutter can significantly slow down your website’s performance.

Here’s how to clean up your database:

Delete unused content: Browse through your dashboard and delete any content you don’t need such as drafts or pending posts. You can also delete any comments that are spam or irrelevant.
Optimize your database: Use phpMyAdmin to clean up or remove unnecessary database tables. To do this simply check all the relevant tables and click on Table Maintenance → Optimize Table. Be careful when working with your database and always back up your site before making any changes.
Use a plugin: There are plugins available that can automate the process of cleaning up your database. For example WP-Optimize is a popular option that can help you optimize your database with just a few clicks. Again remember to back up your website before using any database optimization tools.

Database Optimization Tips

Reduce the number of saved revisions: WordPress automatically saves revisions of your posts which can clutter up your database. You can reduce the number of saved revisions to minimize the impact on performance.
Prevent spam comments: Spam comments are a common problem in WordPress. Installing a spam filter can help prevent spam from clogging up your database.
Empty your trash folder: When you delete a post or page in WordPress it goes to the trash folder. You should regularly empty the trash folder to keep your database clean.
Delete unused plugins and themes: Plugins and themes that you’re not using can also contribute to database clutter. Delete any unused plugins and themes to free up space.
Disable pingbacks and trackbacks: Pingbacks and trackbacks are automated notifications that are sent when a link to your post is published on another website. You can disable pingbacks and trackbacks to reduce the number of database queries.

PHP Memory Limit: Giving Your Website More Space

The PHP memory limit refers to the maximum amount of memory a PHP script can use.

If the limit is too low your website may slow down or even crash.

You can check your PHP memory limit by going to Tools → Site Health → Info → Server. If it’s lower than 256MB you may want to increase it.

You can usually adjust the PHP memory limit through your hosting provider’s control panel but if your host doesn’t offer this option you can edit your wp-config.php file via FTP.

Add the following line of code to the bottom of the file:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT' '256M' );

Replace “256M” with your desired memory limit.

Remember that you can’t override the limit set by your web host.

If you need to increase the limit beyond what your host allows you’ll need to contact them.

Media Library Optimization: Managing Your Images and Videos

The media library is where you store all of your images and videos.

If your media library is bloated with unused files it can slow down your website including the admin backend.

Here’s how to optimize your media library:

Disable image scaling: By default WordPress creates multiple copies of each image in different sizes. You can disable image scaling to prevent WordPress from creating unnecessary copies. To do this go to Settings → Media and change the values beside each image size to “0.”
Upload smaller images: Instead of uploading large images and then shrinking them try uploading smaller images that are already the size you need. This will help reduce the amount of storage space your images take up.
Optimize your images: Use an image optimization tool to compress your images without compromising quality. There are many online tools available or you can use a plugin like ShortPixel Image Optimizer.
Consider a CDN: A CDN can help speed up the delivery of your images and other static content. Jetpack Boost includes an image CDN that automatically resizes images and converts them to efficient formats. You can also use other CDN providers such as Cloudflare or KeyCDN.

Render-Blocking Resources: Making Your Website Load Faster

Render-blocking resources such as CSS and JavaScript can prevent your browser from displaying your website content until they’re loaded.

This can cause a noticeable delay in the page loading process especially on the admin backend.

Eliminating Render-Blocking Resources

There are a few things you can do to eliminate render-blocking resources:

Generate critical CSS: Critical CSS extracts the necessary CSS to display above the fold. The browser will process this code first ensuring that your most important styles load right away.
Defer non-essential JavaScript: This delays non-essential JavaScript code allowing the browser to focus on loading the HTML first.
Combine and compress JavaScript and CSS: This reduces the amount of data that needs to be downloaded speeding up the loading process.

Jetpack Boost can automate these processes for you.

Simply enable the toggles to generate critical CSS defer JavaScript and combine and compress JavaScript and CSS code.

Content Delivery Network (CDN): Delivering Content Faster

A CDN is a network of servers that are strategically located around the world.

When someone visits your website their request is routed to the nearest CDN server which can significantly speed up the delivery of content including the admin backend.

Jetpack Boost includes a user-friendly CDN that you can enable directly from your dashboard.

You can also use other CDN providers such as Cloudflare KeyCDN and MaxCDN.

Hosting Provider: The Foundation of Your Site

If you’ve tried all of the tips in this guide and your admin backend is still slow it’s possible that your hosting provider is the culprit.

You may need to upgrade your hosting plan to access more resources or switch to a more reputable provider.

Managed WordPress Hosting: The Easy Choice

If you’re serious about website performance managed WordPress hosting is the way to go.

Managed WordPress hosting providers specialize in optimizing servers for WordPress websites so you can be sure your website is running as fast and efficiently as possible.

They usually include features like:

Server-level caching: This helps speed up the delivery of content by caching frequently accessed pages.
Image optimization: They often include image optimization tools that can help you compress and resize your images to reduce file sizes.
WordPress security: They typically offer security features like malware scanning and firewall protection to keep your website safe.

Choosing the Right Hosting Provider

When choosing a hosting provider there are a few things to keep in mind:

Reputation: Look for a provider with a good reputation for reliability and performance.
Features: Make sure the provider offers the features you need such as caching image optimization and security.
Customer support: Choose a provider that offers excellent customer support in case you need help with anything.

Beyond the Admin Backend: Performance Optimization Tips

The tips in this guide can help you speed up your WordPress admin backend but they can also improve the overall performance of your website.

Run website speed tests: Use tools like Pingdom and PageSpeed Insights to run website speed tests and identify areas for improvement.
Optimize your database: A clean and efficient database can make a big difference in performance.
Update your software: Keep your WordPress core plugins and themes up-to-date to ensure you’re using the latest and greatest code.
Minimize the number of plugins you use: Only use the plugins you need to reduce the amount of code that needs to be loaded.
Use a CDN: A CDN can speed up the delivery of your website’s content to users around the world.
Optimize your images: Make sure your images are optimized for web use to reduce file sizes and improve loading times.
Use a caching plugin: Caching can help speed up the delivery of your website’s content reducing the amount of work your server needs to do.

By following these tips you can create a website that is fast efficient and enjoyable to use for both you and your visitors.

Final Thoughts

A slow WordPress admin backend can be a real drag but you don’t have to resign yourself to a sluggish experience.

By following the tips in this guide you can make your admin backend faster smoother and more efficient.

Remember website performance is important for both user experience and SEO.

A fast-loading website is more likely to rank well in search results and keep visitors engaged.

So don’t neglect your website’s performance.

Take the time to optimize it and you’ll be rewarded with a happier website and a more pleasant user experience.

How to Fix a Slow Admin Backend on WordPress