# Checklist — 20 tips for a slow WordPress site (2026)

**Site:** _________________________  
**URL:** _________________________  
**Audit date:** _________________________  
**TTFB before:** _______ ms · **LCP before:** _______ s · **Mobile PageSpeed score:** _______

> Measure **before** and **after** each batch of changes. One tip at a time on staging when possible.

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## Phase 0 — Diagnosis (tips 1–3)

- [ ] **1.** PageSpeed Insights + note TTFB / LCP / INP / CLS
- [ ] **2.** Slow **front** or slow **wp-admin**? (pick one primary focus)
- [ ] **3.** DevTools → filter `admin-ajax.php` → note dominant action (`heartbeat` / other)

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## Phase 1 — Public front (tips 4–10)

- [ ] **4.** One page cache only (LiteSpeed **or** WP Super Cache **or** WP Rocket — not two)
- [ ] **5.** Images sized for display + WebP/AVIF enabled
- [ ] **6.** Lazy load images + no 4 MB hero slider
- [ ] **7.** Cloudflare CDN (free plan) — static cache + Brotli
- [ ] **8.** Lightweight theme checked — no 15 Elementor addons “for one animation”
- [ ] **9.** WP emojis + unused oEmbed disabled if not needed
- [ ] **10.** Max 2 font families — self-host if possible

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## Phase 2 — Plugins & database (tips 11–15)

- [ ] **11.** Plugin Usage Detector scan — remove `likely_unused` on staging
- [ ] **12.** PHP 8.3+ + OPcache enabled (host panel)
- [ ] **13.** `wp_options` autoload audited (< 1 MB ideal)
- [ ] **14.** Revisions limited + expired transients cleaned
- [ ] **15.** Query Monitor disabled in production (staging only)

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## Phase 3 — WooCommerce & wp-admin (tips 16–20)

- [ ] **16.** Cart / checkout / my-account excluded from page cache
- [ ] **17.** Heartbeat Control Manager — WooCommerce or Agency preset applied
- [ ] **18.** Real system cron on low traffic (wp-cron disabled)
- [ ] **19.** PHP Compatibility Checker before any host PHP switch
- [ ] **20.** Changes documented + staging test before production

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## Post-optimization metrics

| Metric | Before | After | Δ |
|--------|--------|-------|---|
| TTFB | | | |
| Mobile LCP | | | |
| Mobile PageSpeed | | | |
| wp-admin load time | | | |
| Active plugins | | | |

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## Notes

| Tip tested | Result | Date |
|------------|--------|------|
| | | |
| | | |

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*Volade · volade.com/en/blog/20-astuces-accelerer-wordpress-2026*