When you use WordPress, you can replace its core files and install new themes; however, you cannot change the database. It is the soul of your site, and in order to keep it secure, you must ensure it is free from clutter. Now, the question is, how can you keep your database clean and maintained well?
Cleaning up your WordPress database over time
If you have been operating WordPress over a long time, there are high chances that your database needs a clean-up. This helps you to accelerate the speed of the site and eradicate periodic crushes.
With time, your database gets filled with too many unwanted tables that slow the performance of your website and affect performance. If you declutter WordPress database regularly, you can reduce the size of your WordPress database, and this boosts the loading speeds and helps you to take backups faster.
Clean up SQL queries and plugins
Before you install any software for the maintenance of your WordPress website, you must ensure that you clean SQL queries and plugins. This should be done by first backing up the database.
Note that computers have their own core systems, and the last thing you expect is your data getting lost due to technical errors or in effect to make them better.
Backup your data
Problems in computers and human errors are inevitable, and you should begin by taking a backup before beginning any kind of maintenance work for the database.
In case something goes amiss, you should have a fresh copy for installation. It is prudent not to gamble with your business with pirated software.
Remove all the plugins you no longer use
The greater the number of plugins on your WordPress site, the slower your site will become. This is primarily because every plugin is a different code that a browser needs to adjust to when loading a webpage.
There are many times when webmasters forget to remove the plugins that are not used, and this lands up clogging their site.
The best way of removing the unwanted clutter from your database is to look for the plugins you no longer use. Delete them.
There are many people that like to test out new plugins for their websites; however, they forget to delete them, and this hinders performance. Again, there are some times when you might just land up installing plugins that provide you with the same goal.
Whatever the case, you should take out some time to check your list of installed plugins and delete them if they are no longer in use. Plugins occur space in your database, so eliminating them is one step ahead when it comes to a squeaky- clean database.
Eliminate plugin data
Experts from RemoteDBA.com state that when you remove and delete the plugins, you do not need, there are high chances that most of the data of these plugins will not go away.
If you want the database to function faster, you need to clean this data from it. It is prudent to call in professionals from reliable companies to do the job for you as it is risky if you land up doing something you do not know.
Delete all spam comments
When you permit your audience to comment on your posts, you will invite a lot of spam comments as well. These comments are negative in nature, or they might be promotional content posted on your site by online marketers. You can delete these spam comments with the help of special SQL queries.
What about comments that are awaiting moderation from your end?
For comments that are awaiting moderation from your end, you should always clear them on your site. If most of them are spam comments, you no longer have to waste time going through all of them.
You can use a simple SQL query to delete these comments that wait for your moderation. However, if you can, it is wise to go through them before deleting them, as you might have some genuine comments in them as well.
The database tables should be completely optimized
If you wish to optimize your database, make sure you do not install plugins to do so. In just a few clicks, you can optimize database tables for optimal performance.
There is an option for you to do so in the phpMyAdmin section. You just need to click off your database and scroll down to the bottom of the webpage. Select “Click All” and click on “Optimize Table”.
This step needs to be repeated for every page of the tables you have. The process is long if you have a large website; however, once all the tables are optimized, you will receive a message for success.
Use plugins for database maintenance
The above are just some manual changes you can embrace for the improvement of your database. However, there are some automated processes for optimizing your WP database.
You may choose a number of plugins for database management for automated cleanups and backups. However, it is prudent to review them before use.
Experts in database management suggest you use the ones recommended by them. In case you overdo this process and install the wrong plugins, you will land up, causing a lot of damage to your WP site as their results will be poor.
Some good plugins are WP-DBManager, Revision Control, WP-Optimizer, and WP-Sweep. Most of these plugins play serve the same objective and make sure you do not install the same plugins by mistake. You should install plugins only from credible sources.
Therefore, when it comes to de-cluttering your WP database, keep the above in mind. In this way, you effectively are able to improve performance and maintain your database well regularly.
Maintain a regular schedule, and do not wait. If you do, the database might crash, and your business will suffer a lot. In case, you do not have the team or the time to maintain your WP database.
It is prudent to consult experienced professionals in remote database management to help you out. Choose a good company with good credentials and track records in the market for success.
Author’s Bio
Pete Campbell is a social media manager who has worked as a database administrator in the IT industry and has written numerous articles and blog posts on topics related to DBA services for small businesses. Learn more about hiring the best experts at RemoteDBA.com.