PluginScore

WordPress.DB.SlowDBQuery.slow_db_query_meta_query

slow db query meta query

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
#201Restaurant Menu and Food Ordering233858532k+Non-prefixed global variable
#202MP3 Audio Player – Music Player, Podcast Player & Radio by Sonaar234,06548820k+Text Domain Mismatch
#203MStore API – Create Native Android & iOS Apps On The Cloud236187643k+SQL query is not prepared
#204MyWorks Sync for WooCommerce & QuickBooks Online232,2929,1015k+Non-prefixed global variable
#205News Kit Addons For Elementor23694194k+Post Not In exclude
#206Next Active Directory Integration236832842k+Exception output is not escaped
#207Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery232,129993400k+Text Domain Mismatch
#208Issues and Series for Newspapers, Magazines, Publishers, Writers233467102k+Nonce verification recommended
#209PayPal Brasil para WooCommerce235543281k+Unsafe printing function
#210Post to Google My Business (Google Business Profile)238451,45210k+Non-prefixed global variable
#211Premium Addons for Elementor – Powerful Elementor Templates & Widgets23206997700k+Non-prefixed hook name
#212Primary Addon for Elementor237651,3067k+Non-prefixed global variable
#213Radio Station by netmix® – Manage and play your Show Schedule in WordPress!239343,6191k+Non-prefixed global variable
#214Real Estate Manager – Property Listing and Agent Management236062,301600Non-prefixed global variable
#215Request a Quote – Quote Forms for Any WordPress Site232401,0991k+Non-prefixed hook name
#216Revive.so – Bulk Rewrite and Republish Blog Posts233322281k+Text Domain Mismatch
#217Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider231,29153040k+Output is not escaped
#218SecuPress with Simple SSL – Simple and Performant Security231,6971,60140k+Non-prefixed global variable
#219Secure Custom Fields232401,37080k+Non-prefixed function
#220Seriously Simple Podcasting2354862730k+Non-prefixed hook name
#221Shipment Tracker for Woocommerce234625592k+Missing Arg Domain
#222Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms2340586950k+Nonce verification recommended
#223Site Reviews231,62560360k+Output is not escaped
#224Smart Slider 323261268800k+Non-prefixed global variable
#225The Events Calendar233,5113,851700k+Text Domain Mismatch
#226The Pack Elementor addon235561,1802k+Non-prefixed global variable
#227The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid231051,013100k+Non-prefixed global variable
#228Trinity Audio – Text to Speech AI audio player to convert content into audio231192272k+Non-prefixed global variable
#229Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution233953,406100k+Non-prefixed global variable
#230Directory Listings WordPress plugin – uListing239471,5731k+Non-prefixed global variable
#231Product Options and Price Calculation Formulas for WooCommerce – Uni CPO232,5141,9291k+Output is not escaped
#232UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP236942,43920k+Non-prefixed hook name
#233VK All in One Expansion Unit231,026518100k+Output is not escaped
#234Wallet System for WooCommerce – Digital Wallet, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), Instant Cashback, Referral program, Partial & Subscription Payments231211,2272k+Non-prefixed global variable
#235Peach Payments Gateway232981291k+Non Singular String Literal Domain
#236Product Table & List Builder For WooCommerce231,3612,05910k+Non-prefixed global variable
#237Widgets on Pages238091,30620k+Non-prefixed global variable
#238Widgets for WooCommerce Products on Elementor231,6591,4543k+Non-prefixed global variable
#239WP All Import – Product Import for WooCommerce231,47520920k+Non Singular String Literal Domain
#240ShopLentor – All-in-One WooCommerce Growth & Store Enhancement Plugin237,4232,18190k+Text Domain Mismatch
#241WP-CRM System – Manage Clients and Projects232971,094800Non-prefixed global variable
#242WP Crowdfunding231991,6292k+Non-prefixed global variable
#243WP Hotelier236931,6352k+Non-prefixed global variable
#244FunnelKit Automations – Email Marketing Automation and CRM for WordPress & WooCommerce239412,17920k+SQL query is not prepared
#245Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning231,11820240k+Missing Translators Comment
#246Dynamic Team Manager – Team Member Showcase with grid, slider, table Elementor widget & shortcode239332,002900Non-prefixed global variable
#247Customer Support Ticket System & Helpdesk231,7191,464400Text Domain Mismatch
#248WP Webhooks – Automate repetitive tasks by creating powerful automation workflows directly within WordPress234,37689020k+Output is not escaped
#249Comments – wpDiscuz236201,18070k+Non-prefixed global variable
#250WSW – Shopify WooCommerce / WordPress Integration and Migration231,4491,612600Non-prefixed global variable