Sites often slow down after updates due to plugin query changes, cache invalidation, or PHP compatibility issues. Measure before changing random settings.
Step 1: Confirm where time is spent
- TTFB high: server/PHP/database bottleneck
- Total load high: frontend assets, images, scripts
Step 2: Check logs and recent changes
sudo tail -n 100 /var/log/apache2/error.log
wp plugin list
wp theme listStep 3: isolate high-impact plugin changes
Disable suspected plugins one at a time and measure again.
Step 4: tune cache layers
- Object cache (Redis) for query-heavy pages
- Edge cache for static assets
- Avoid duplicate caching plugins
Validation
Re-test key user paths and review service logs after each change.
Further reading: Core Web Vitals Overview
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