PluginScore

WordPress.DB.SlowDBQuery.slow_db_query_meta_key

slow db query meta key

A query pattern is likely to be slow on larger WordPress sites.

medium weight

Why It Shows Up

The scan found query arguments such as broad meta queries, tax queries, or unindexed lookups that commonly become expensive as content grows.

Why It Matters

A query that feels fine on a small test site can become a production bottleneck on large stores, membership sites, or publishers.

How to Fix

  • Avoid broad `meta_query`, `tax_query`, and unindexed searches on front-end requests when possible.
  • Cache expensive results with transients, object cache, or precomputed data.
  • Add narrower constraints, pagination, and indexes when custom tables are appropriate.

References

WordPress database access

Affected Plugins

RankPluginScoreErrorsWarningsInstallsAddedUpdatedTop Issue
#401Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution243284,409100k+Non-prefixed global variable
#402Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder – Lite242,75148620k+Text Domain Mismatch
#403Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin249382,935200k+Non-prefixed global variable
#404Ultimate Post Kit Addons for Elementor2418341230k+Missing nonce verification
#405Ultimate Product Catalog245545255k+Unsafe printing function
#406Ultimate WP Mail24400546700Unsafe printing function
#407Unlimited Elements For Elementor247102,093300k+Non-prefixed global variable
#408User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder246633,35350k+Non-prefixed global variable
#409Video Conferencing with Zoom241,10544010k+Unsafe printing function
#410Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping & Social Channels241,6151,37770k+Text Domain Mismatch
#411Coupon Affiliates – Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce249473,1335k+Non-prefixed global variable
#412Premmerce WooCommerce Customers Manager245641,327700Non-prefixed global variable
#413Payment Plugins Braintree For WooCommerce247317552k+Output is not escaped
#414Payment Gateway for PayPal on WooCommerce2416366410k+Non-prefixed hook name
#415Premmerce Permalink Manager for WooCommerce246331,33550k+Non-prefixed global variable
#416NextMove Lite – Thank You Page for WooCommerce2491685710k+Non-prefixed global variable
#417Store Exporter – Export WooCommerce Products, Orders, Subscriptions, Customers244801,2727k+Non-prefixed function
#418WPML Multilingual & Multicurrency for WooCommerce241,4531,618100k+SQL query is not prepared
#419WordLift – AI powered SEO – Schema24278949400Non-prefixed hook name
#420Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI2415938610m+Non-prefixed global variable
#421WP Admin Audit241,0517811k+error log print r
#422WP Contact Slider – Contact Form Slider Widget241,3552,5899k+Non-prefixed global variable
#423WP Discourse241031141k+Nonce verification recommended
#424Iptanus File Upload245091,32510k+Non-prefixed function
#425WP Hotel Booking241,2321,5337k+Non-prefixed global variable
#426WP Layouts243491463k+Text Domain Mismatch
#427WP-Members Membership Plugin2466938250k+Output is not escaped
#428WP Notification Bell247361,591700Non-prefixed global variable
#429WP Recipe Maker2449494250k+Non-prefixed global variable
#430WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content241,77739440k+Text Domain Mismatch
#431WP School Calendar241,3611,721400Non-prefixed global variable
#432WSMS (formerly WP SMS) – SMS & MMS Notifications with OTP and 2FA for WooCommerce24911,7257k+Non-prefixed hook name
#433WP-Stateless – Google Cloud Storage241,0364824k+Non Singular String Literal Domain
#434WP Travel – Ultimate Travel Booking System, Tour Management Engine242271,9544k+Non-prefixed hook name
#435WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software242,0125,68920k+Non-prefixed global variable
#436Paid Membership Plugin, Ecommerce, User Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content – ProfilePress242,5812,109100k+Output is not escaped
#437WP User Manager – User Profile Builder & Membership2478753910k+Exception output is not escaped
#438WP Voting Contest Lite24259258400Text Domain Mismatch
#439WPAdverts – Classifieds Plugin241,3084964k+Output is not escaped
#440WP Travel Engine – Elementor Widgets | Create Travel Booking Website Using WordPress and Elementor245,9072,13610k+Text Domain Mismatch
#441xili-language241,501523600Output is not escaped
#442YMC Filter24121,7294k+Non-prefixed global variable
#443Dynamic Pricing With Discount Rules for WooCommerce251652055k+Non-prefixed global variable
#444Advanced WordPress Reset – Debug, Recover & Reset WP2547546420k+Output is not escaped
#445FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce25603302100k+Output is not escaped
#446AliExpress Dropshipping Plugin for WooCommerce Stores255557344k+Text Domain Mismatch
#447ATUM WooCommerce Inventory Management and Stock Tracking252,6341,30610k+Non Singular String Literal Domain
#448bbp style pack251,4191,7916k+Output is not escaped
#449Beaver Builder Page Builder – Drag and Drop Website Builder254,4631,819100k+Text Domain Mismatch
#450Booking Activities251,0361,4693k+Output is not escaped