In this article, we will tell you where virtual garbage can accumulate in WordPress. We will also introduce you to several tools that will make the site cleaning process much easier.
Do you want to start on WordPress? Read about it more here.
Where to begin
WordPress comes with a default theme. As new default themes are released, their number increases. Therefore, it is worth getting rid of them.
The same goes for plugins. In addition to standard plugins such as Akismet and Hello Dolly, users install new ones. But a large number of plugins can cause a site to be hacked. For example, if an unused theme or plugin has a vulnerability, a bot (or human) can detect and exploit it.
Delete old content and post edit versions
Almost every site has outdated or irrelevant content. Not to mention the thousands of revisions that WordPress saves every time you make changes to content.
Because of them, the site database can increase significantly. This may cause performance degradation. So it’s worth cleaning up.
Delete drafts
Delete all draft pages and posts on the site. To search for them, use the filters available in the “Posts” section of the administration panel. Then you can remove unwanted items.
Limit the number of revisions
Every time you make changes to content and save them, WordPress keeps track of them as revisions. This is useful when you need to restore a post to its previous state. But it makes no sense to store an unlimited number of revisions.
By simply making changes to the wp-config.php file, you can reduce the number of revisions WordPress saves for each post.
For most sites, a limit of 5-10 revisions will suffice. In the code snippet above, we have chosen to keep 5 revisions.
Specialized Tools
There are several WordPress plugins to help make the cleanup process easier: WP-Optimize, WP-Sweep, and Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions.
Each of these plugins removes old revisions, comments, and other database bloat junk. Some of them offer automatic sai cleanup.
Delete unused media files
It is also worth getting rid of unused media content. When uploading one image, several reduced versions of it are created at once. In addition, many gallery and slider plugins generate their own thumbnails. All these elements litter the site.
Having multiple versions of an image isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you use them. But there may be photos, PDFs, and other content that is not needed. These “homeless” files take up disk space and can slow down the site.
To get rid of media junk, you can carefully review the /wp-content/uploads/ folder and delete unused files. But in order to avoid errors, it is better to use the Media Cleaner plugin. It will scan the uploaded files and find those that are not related to WordPress posts, photo gallery, etc.
Don’t clutter your toolbar
The WordPress dashboard can get quite unwieldy. The more extensions you install, the more menu items and widgets will appear in it.
Removing unnecessary themes and plugins will unload the toolbar. You can also use the Screen Settings tab at the top of every page in your WordPress admin panel to disable the display of unnecessary items.
In addition, specialized plugins are available. One of them is Admin Menu Editor. It allows you to hide unnecessary menu items.
Keep your site clean
Cleaning up will help any WordPress site get faster. And with the help of some tools, this process can be automated.
But you can’t delete anything from your site without understanding the consequences. This is why it is always recommended to create fresh backups.
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