I recently discovered a plugin which has fast become one of my favorite tools for cleaning and optimizing WordPress. It’s called WP-Optimize,Ā and it’s a great plugin which performs a very simple, but important job…it cleans your WordPress database.
I first discovered this plugin while out looking for tools that could bulk delete post revisions. For the majority of my sites I use a handy WordPress management app called ManageWP which performs a lot of routine WordPress maintenance, but I was needing an easy solution for my clients’ sites.
After a quick search on WordPress.org, I turned up WP-Optimize.
This awesome little plugin adds some really useful database maintenance features to your WordPress site, which include:
- Removal of post revisions: Every time you update a post or page, WordPress automatically stores a version of the post. After awhile these post revisions can add a lot of overhead to your database, and most of the time they are completely unnecessary.
- Clear post auto-drafts and empty posts trash: Not a hugely useful feature, but it’s nice to lump in with the rest of the maintenance.
- Spam comment removal and comment clean up: WP-Optimize can bulk delete all comments that are sitting in your spam queue. It also can clear out your unapproved comments and empty out your comments trash.
- Remove transient options: These are cached database queries which are designed to help speed up your site; however, they can build up over time and will increase your database overhead. It’s a good idea to clear them out on occasion.
- Remove pingbacks and trackbacks: If you prefer not to allow pingbacks and trackbacks on your site, this option will provide a quick and easy way to remove them. I generally don’t allow them just because there are always so many spammers trying to leech off of my authority with a trackback.
- Scheduled automatic clean up: I haven’t used this feature, but you can configure the plugin to run routine scheduled maintenance of your site.
Improving your WordPress site performance with WP-Optimize
After awhile, your WordPress database can become disorganized and bloated. Databases are always changing, with entries always being added or deleted, and in the process it can get get a little out of order. If you don’t clean and optimize your database on occasion your site will gradually start to slow down a bit, due to the database queries running less efficiently, and sometimes you may even run into problems.
Common glitches resulting from a poorly optimized database are 404 errors and other random unforeseen issues. Often times a little cleaning will get things back in shape.
What’s so nice about WP-Optimize is that it allows pretty much anyone to perform maintenance on their MySQL database, which normally would require functions performed through PHPMyAdmin. Most basic users are not going to want to fuss with having to administer maintenance that way, and a lot of people won’t even know what a PHPMyAdmin is. š
So, the simple solution to keeping your WordPress site’s database clean and in tip-top shape is to install this wonderful plugin.
How to Install and Run the WP-Optimize WordPress Database Optimization Plugin
- Go to: Plugins > Add New
- Search for: WP-Optimize
- Click on ‘Install Now’
- Once the plugin is installed, click on ‘Optimizer’
- Next, configure the options by tickingĀ the checkboxes. I check all of them, as shown in the example below.
- Click ‘Process’ and then marvel at how clean your database has become!
The example I’ve shown here demonstrates a substantial amount of overhead removed from one of my larger sites. 93.3MB cleaned!
Try WP-Optimize out for yourself!
If you’re searching for a tool to optimize your WordPress database, or maybe you didn’t realize to do this until happening on this post…either way, give WP-Optimize a try! I’m sure you’ll be happy with the results!