{"id":867222,"date":"2018-11-27T11:12:05","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T10:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-rocket.me\/?p=867222"},"modified":"2022-02-25T10:36:34","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T09:36:34","slug":"how-to-speed-up-slow-woocommerce-backend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-rocket.me\/blog\/how-to-speed-up-slow-woocommerce-backend\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Speed Up a Slow WooCommerce Backend"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post. Opinions and recommendations are the author\u2019s own and not necessarily those of WP Rocket.<\/em><\/span><\/p>

Is the backend of your WooCommerce site slow? We all know it\u2019s crucial that stores are speedy on the front-end to provide a great user experience for shoppers. But you might not know that it\u2019s just as important your store\u2019s backend is fast, too.<\/span><\/p>

Your WordPress dashboard’s speed and efficiency impact your productivity, your ability to manage the day-to-day running of your store, and how you\u2019re able to respond to any unexpected issues affecting your site.<\/span><\/p>

Generally, there are three possible causes of WooCommerce backend slowness:<\/span><\/p>

  1. Non-performant PHP code,<\/span><\/li>
  2. Non-performant database queries, and<\/span><\/li>
  3. Slow-loading of files.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

    So how do you diagnose and fix these issues? I polled the <\/span>Prospress<\/span><\/a> team\u2014the folks behind <\/span>WooCommerce Subscriptions<\/span><\/a> (the world\u2019s most popular WooCommerce extension), <\/span>Robot Ninja<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>AutomateWoo<\/span><\/a>\u2014and we came up with the following tips, tools, and advice to help you identify each of the three issues above and implement fixes to get your WooCommerce backend running smoothly again.<\/span><\/p>

    Getting Started: General Tips for Speeding Up the WooCommerce Backend<\/span><\/h2>

    Before we dive in, let\u2019s recap some general performance tips. You\u2019ve no doubt heard the following a thousand times before, but each is important to have in place before moving onto the more involved fixes that are the focus of this article.<\/span><\/p>

    1. Disable\/Delete Unused Plugins\/Settings<\/span><\/h3>

    It\u2019s best practice to only keep the plugins you need and delete the rest. This is generally recommended from a WordPress security and maintenance standpoint.<\/span><\/p>

    It\u2019s worth noting that sometimes people expect simply deleting a bunch of their plugins will be a silver bullet, but this isn\u2019t always the case. While the number of plugins you have installed on your site may well be a factor in slowing things down, it\u2019s more likely that there could be an issue with the quality of your plugins (which we\u2019ll explore in more detail below).<\/span><\/p>

    2. Keep WordPress Core, Plugins and Themes Updated<\/span><\/h3>

    Performance is always a key factor for WordPress developers, whether it\u2019s the core team working on the latest version of WooCommerce, or plugin and theme developers improving their products.<\/span><\/p>

    So one way you can help improve and maintain the performance of your site is simply by keeping pace with core, plugin, and theme updates as they are released.<\/span><\/p>

    It\u2019s important to test new versions of WordPress, WooCommerce and any plugins and themes you\u2019re using <\/span>before<\/span><\/i> you hit update. This means setting up a staging site, doing your research, and running thorough tests before updating your production site.<\/span><\/p>

    For more on how to test and update your WooCommerce site, check out our guide <\/span>Updating WooCommerce: A Safe and In-Depth Guide<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

    3. Choose\/Switch to a Good Web Host<\/span><\/h3>

    Not all hosts are created equal. Spending time investigating your options will go a long way when it comes to the performance of the front-end and backend of your site.<\/span><\/p>

    Google is your friend here. Read the reviews, ask lots of questions, and sign up with the host that checks all your boxes. While shared hosting is great for smaller sites and those new to WooCommerce, it\u2019s worth looking into VPS and managed WordPress hosting solutions that can guarantee dedicated resources for your site.<\/span><\/p>

    Preferably, choose a host that supports PHP 7+ and, if possible, also provides some integrated caching functionality.<\/span><\/p>

    4. Use Object Caching<\/span><\/h3>

    There are a lot of mixed and seemingly backward opinions about object caching. But let\u2019s try and set the record straight: when done correctly, object caching is a valid and proven way to speed up your WooCommerce backend.<\/span><\/p>

    There are many good hosts out there that offer object caching out-of-the-box, and sometimes all you need to do is ask your host to enable it.<\/span><\/p>

    Alternatively, if you manage your own hosting, plugins like <\/span>WP Redis<\/span><\/a> with a Redis data store can complement front-end page caching whilst speeding up your WooCommerce dashboard.<\/span><\/p>

    5. Disable WordPress and WooCommerce Dashboard Functionality You Don\u2019t Need<\/span><\/h3>

    Customizing what\u2019s displayed in your dashboard might seem redundant, but for some sites, these simple changes can make a big difference to a sluggish WooCommerce backend:<\/span><\/p>