Optimization Suggestions
Actionable recommendations generated from your speed test results, targeting each phase of the connection.
Overview#
After running a speed test, the plugin analyzes your timing metrics and generates per-metric optimization suggestions. These appear in the Optimizations tab under Speed Test Optimization Results.
Each suggestion tells you exactly which timing phase is slow, what the measured value was compared to the threshold, and what you can do to improve it.
Metrics Analyzed#
The plugin evaluates the average timing across all probes for these metrics:
DNS Lookup#
Measures how long it takes Chinese DNS servers to resolve your domain name to an IP address.
- Threshold: 300 ms
- Common causes of slow DNS: Using a DNS provider with no Asian presence, no DNS caching, CNAME chains.
- Recommendations: Use a DNS provider with global anycast networks (Cloudflare, AWS Route 53). Consider a China-specific DNS provider if serving significant Chinese traffic.
TCP Connection#
Measures the time to establish a TCP connection between the Chinese probe and your server.
- Threshold: 500 ms
- Common causes: Server located far from China (US/EU hosting), no CDN, server overload.
- Recommendations: Use a CDN with Asian edge nodes. Consider an origin server in Asia-Pacific. Ensure your server has adequate capacity.
TLS Handshake#
Measures SSL certificate negotiation time.
- Threshold: 500 ms
- Common causes: Distant server (TLS adds a round trip), heavy certificate chains, OCSP stapling disabled.
- Recommendations: Enable OCSP stapling, use TLS 1.3 which reduces handshake round trips, deploy via a CDN with edge termination.
TTFB (Time to First Byte)#
Measures how long the server takes to begin responding after the connection is established.
- Threshold: 800 ms
- Common causes: Slow server-side processing, uncached WordPress pages, slow database queries, heavy plugins.
- Recommendations: Implement page caching (WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache). Optimize database queries. Review plugin load times.
Status Indicators#
Each metric receives a status:
- ✅ Good — Metric is within the acceptable threshold. No action needed.
- ⚠️ Warning — Metric exceeds the threshold. The suggestion provides specific steps to investigate and improve.
Results are shown as individual metric cards with the measured value, threshold, status icon, and the recommendation text.
Result Persistence#
Optimization suggestions persist from your most recent speed test. They remain visible in the Optimizations tab until you run a new speed test, at which point they are replaced with fresh suggestions. The display includes the timestamp and tested domain for reference.