Title: Need to optimise WordPress database
Last modified: August 30, 2016

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# Need to optimise WordPress database

 *  [ovbg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ovbg/)
 * (@ovbg)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/need-to-optimise-wordpress-database/)
 * Hello, my website has become very slow recently, and I have been told I need 
   to optimise this. How hard is this to do, and are here serious risks?
 * My hosting company says my database 234mb which is too big. But how can I optimise
   this without deleting my website?
 * I read somewhere about using something on my cpanel called phpmyadmin, and then
   just selecting optimising. Is this a good place to start and a good idea – and
   is it risky? Will my website still operate during this procedure?

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

 *  [leejosepho](https://wordpress.org/support/users/leejosepho/)
 * (@leejosepho)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/need-to-optimise-wordpress-database/#post-6321050)
 * I use WP Clean Up, and it has never caused me any trouble:
    [https://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?type=term&q=wp+clean+up](https://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?type=term&q=wp+clean+up)
 * For whatever reason or reasons, it apparently does more than the built-in WordPress
   optimizer that has never seemed to me to do much at all.
 * note: Be sure to look closely at what is going to be deleted before using the
   WP Clean Up “Delete All” button if you have any drafts or whatever you do not
   want to have removed altogether and forever. Then after your deletes, scroll 
   down and simply click “Optimize” and watch how the size of your database will
   likely drop tremendously!
 * > I read somewhere about using something on my cpanel called phpmyadmin, and 
   > then just selecting optimising.
 * phpMyAdmin at cPanel will possibly ask for your SQL username and password from
   your wp-config.php file in order to get to your database, and there is where 
   you should “Select All” and do an export as a backup before doing anything else.
   I have never used the optimize option there, but you should be safe doing so 
   just as long as you first have a backup before doing anything anywhere at all.
 *  Thread Starter [ovbg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ovbg/)
 * (@ovbg)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/need-to-optimise-wordpress-database/#post-6321108)
 * Hi there, thanks for the great answer.
 * So, I have PHPMyAdmin access, and I tried to backup my entire database via the
   Export (clicking my database, then selecting all items, then export), but the
   file it exports is only 142kb large. This is of course may too small since my
   database is over 230mb.
 * What could I be doing wrong?
 *  Thread Starter [ovbg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ovbg/)
 * (@ovbg)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/need-to-optimise-wordpress-database/#post-6321122)
 * Ah, think I have solved the backup issue. I was backing up the wrong database…
   Opps.
 * Anyway, tried the phoMayAdmin optimisation, and I can’t see any difference. Will
   try the above mentioned plug-in now.
 *  Thread Starter [ovbg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ovbg/)
 * (@ovbg)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/need-to-optimise-wordpress-database/#post-6321125)
 * Ok, Optimised my wordpress website with the excellent WP Clean Up, and it basically
   halved it from 234mb, down to 122mb.
 * That is great.
 * Site is still slow though. Would others agree that this is slow?
 * [http://www.eyeondemand.com](http://www.eyeondemand.com)
 * and especially browsing the forums at [http://www.eyeondemand.com/forums](http://www.eyeondemand.com/forums)
 *  [leejosepho](https://wordpress.org/support/users/leejosepho/)
 * (@leejosepho)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/need-to-optimise-wordpress-database/#post-6321126)
 * You have a lot going on there with many images to load and the cookie popup, 
   and then the “New Forum” announcement keeps popping up with every new click even
   after going to the forum. I recently saw something somewhere about setting a 
   site to only load its “above-the-fold” content when someone first arrives and
   then adding to it as they scroll or whatever, but I do not recall where I saw
   that. Also, I use the simpler, unobtrusive UK Cookie Consent:
    [https://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?type=term&q=Cookie+Consent](https://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?type=term&q=Cookie+Consent)
 * At least for myself, I think giving visitors what they actually want and need
   takes precedent over what I might want them to see or do.
 *  Thread Starter [ovbg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ovbg/)
 * (@ovbg)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/need-to-optimise-wordpress-database/#post-6321127)
 * Thanks for the fantastic observations leejosepho!
 * Technically, the cookie one should only be once, the first time a site is visited,
   but I agree the popup for the forum should disappear when actually on the forum.
   Will be looking into that one definitely!
 * It would be great on the forums if when people loaded new topics etc, only that
   window where the forum itself actually updated, as everything else is the same.
   Anyone know if this is possible?
 * Perhaps if I had smaller 125x ads on the side in that forum, it would speed up.
   Can’t get rid of ads entirely, as that is important to pay the bills. And I would
   like them to be less intrusive (Personally, I like ads no more than anyone else),
   so if it is the ads, I’m going to have to work out a compromise somehow. But 
   the forum pages just seem so slow to me even with the ads as the main bulk has
   no no real graphics.
 *  Thread Starter [ovbg](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ovbg/)
 * (@ovbg)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/need-to-optimise-wordpress-database/#post-6321129)
 * Re: the Forums pop-in, I use a shortcode which I put in a widget so it appears
   on every page. Is there a shortcode or addition to the shortcode that I can use
   to not allow it to pop up on any /forums/ pages?
 *  [leejosepho](https://wordpress.org/support/users/leejosepho/)
 * (@leejosepho)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/need-to-optimise-wordpress-database/#post-6321131)
 * > I use a shortcode which I put in a widget so it appears on every page.
 * I know only enough to be dangerous at times, but I think I would (in a Child 
   Theme) make a custom page template for forums pages and give the sidebar a custom
   designation, then go to CSS and add ‘display:none;’ to that specific widget within
   that custom sidebar designation. For example: I believe something like `<?php
   get_sidebar('forum');?>` in a page template would call a custom ‘sidebar-forum.
   php’ file…and then I would figure things out from there. But since I have never
   actually done that, my approach here might be completely wrong! There might be
   a simpler way to check for ‘is_forum’ and then ‘display:none;’ that specific 
   widget.

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

The topic ‘Need to optimise WordPress database’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 8 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [leejosepho](https://wordpress.org/support/users/leejosepho/)
 * Last activity: [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/need-to-optimise-wordpress-database/#post-6321131)
 * Status: not resolved

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