As a WordPress consultant with over 10 years of experience, I can‘t stress enough the importance of monitoring database queries. A query monitor gives unmatched visibility into precisely what‘s happening during page loads.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll show you how to install Query Monitor and leverage its unparalleled diagnostics to analyze and optimize website performance.
Why You Need a Query Monitor as a WordPress Pro
A query monitor inspects database queries, scripts, styles, hooks and more that execute behind the scenes when a page loads.
Without a query monitor, WordPress performance is a black box. Minor hiccups accumulate, page load times rise to seconds, visitors bounce.
With Query Monitor, you glimpse inside that black box to understand exactly what‘s slowing your site and how to fix it.
Consider these stats:
- 53% of visitors will leave a site if it takes > 3 seconds to load
- Sites with the fastest page load times have 35% higher conversion rates
- Every 100ms speed gain boosts revenue 1% on average
By optimizing performance with Query Monitor‘s diagnostics, you‘ll boost conversions and revenue for yourself or clients.
Step 1: Install Query Monitor
The first step is installing and activating the Query Monitor plugin:
- In WP Admin, go to Plugins > Add New
- Search "Query Monitor" and click Install Now
- When installation finishes, click Activate
That‘s it! Query Monitor will now start monitoring site activity behind the scenes.
Step 2: View Diagnostics in WP Toolbar
To view diagnostics, you first need to display the WordPress toolbar:
- Go to Users > Your Profile
- Check Show Toolbar when viewing site
- Click Update Profile
Now when you view the front-end, you‘ll spot the Query Monitor icon among your toolbar items:
Click this to open diagnostics panels, or mouse over for shortcuts to key data.
Step 3: Identify Slow Database Queries
One of the most powerful panels is Queries > Slow Queries which lists queries by resource load:
At a glance, we can spot expensive queries for further inspection. Just click a query to view more details:
Now as an expert, you have context to:
- Add database indexes to speed up queries by time or occurrence
- Cache expensive queries via transients to avoid future processing
- Evaluate third-party code causing inefficient queries
Repeat for other diagnostics panels – HTTP requests, hooks, scripts, styles etc. – to unlock a holistic performance overview.
Pro Tips: Optimize Queries for Faster Page Loads
Here are some professional tips for leveraging Query Monitor‘s data to speed up sites:
Identify and eliminate redundant queries
Spot duplicate queries across pages signaling opportunities to cache data for one-time retrieval.
Review slow query calls/components
Diagnose if themes, plugins or core WordPress are responsible for lags. Deactivate problematic plugins.
Lower query count with persistent caching
Reduce processing by caching data, API responses or HTML fragments in Redis or Memcached.
Mindfulness for 3rd party performance
Thoroughly vet additional code/calls from plugins and external APIs for speed to avoid query creep.
Conclusion: Add Query Monitor for Peak WordPress Performance
In closing, every WordPress professional should utilize query monitoring. Diagnotics reveal what is typically invisible, empowering you to optimize sites for speed wins.
With query data guiding improvements, you‘ll troubleshoot issues, tune performance and delight visitors with lightning-fast load times.
I welcome your feedback! For personalized optimization assistance, please check my site for consulting inquiries.
