Wordpress

Wordpress

Top Interview Questions

About Wordpress

 

Understanding WordPress

WordPress is a powerful, open-source content management system (CMS) that enables users to create, manage, and publish websites easily without needing extensive technical expertise. It is written in PHP and uses MySQL or MariaDB for database management. WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet, making it the most popular CMS globally.

WordPress is versatile, supporting blogs, business websites, e-commerce stores, portfolios, news sites, and forums, among others. Its popularity stems from its user-friendly interface, flexibility, extensive plugin ecosystem, and strong community support.


History and Evolution of WordPress

WordPress was launched in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little as a fork of a project called b2/cafelog. Its initial goal was to provide a simple, elegant blogging platform.

Key milestones in WordPress history:

  • 2003: WordPress 0.7 released with basic blogging features.

  • 2004: Version 1.0 introduced the plugin architecture, allowing extensibility.

  • 2005: WordPress added media uploading, comments, and themes.

  • 2008: WordPress 2.5 improved the dashboard and visual editor.

  • 2010: WordPress 3.0 introduced custom post types and menus.

  • 2014-Present: Modern versions emphasize REST API, mobile responsiveness, Gutenberg block editor, and multisite support.

Today, WordPress is not just a blogging platform—it is a full-fledged website creation and management system.


What is WordPress?

At its core, WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) that allows users to build and manage websites without coding from scratch.

Key characteristics:

  • Open Source: Free to use, modify, and distribute.

  • PHP-Based: Server-side scripting language for dynamic websites.

  • Database Driven: Uses MySQL or MariaDB for storing content, settings, and user data.

  • Extensible: Thousands of plugins and themes allow custom functionality and design.

  • Community Support: Large ecosystem of developers, designers, and users providing tutorials, plugins, and updates.


Features of WordPress

WordPress offers a comprehensive suite of features that make it ideal for beginners and professionals alike:

1. User-Friendly Interface

  • Intuitive dashboard for managing posts, pages, and media.

  • Visual editor for easy content creation.

  • Role-based user management (Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber).

2. Themes and Design Customization

  • Thousands of free and premium themes for different industries.

  • Drag-and-drop customization with page builders like Elementor or Divi.

  • Responsive designs for mobile and tablet devices.

3. Plugin Architecture

  • Over 50,000 plugins for SEO, e-commerce, security, analytics, and more.

  • Plugins extend functionality without coding.

  • Examples: WooCommerce (e-commerce), Yoast SEO (search engine optimization), Contact Form 7 (forms).

4. Blogging and Content Management

  • Post scheduling, categories, and tags.

  • Built-in comments system and moderation.

  • Media management with image, video, and audio support.

5. SEO-Friendly

  • Permalinks, XML sitemaps, and meta tags.

  • Compatible with SEO plugins for optimizing content.

  • Fast-loading and mobile-optimized for better search rankings.

6. Security

  • Regular updates for core, themes, and plugins.

  • User authentication and role-based access.

  • Security plugins like Wordfence, Sucuri, and iThemes Security.

7. Multilingual and Multisite Support

  • Supports multilingual websites via plugins like WPML.

  • Multisite allows running multiple websites from a single WordPress installation.

8. REST API

  • Enables integration with external applications, mobile apps, and other systems.

  • Supports headless CMS architectures.


WordPress Architecture

WordPress follows a modular architecture that separates content, presentation, and functionality:

  1. Core: The WordPress engine that manages content, themes, plugins, and settings.

  2. Themes: Control the visual appearance of the website.

  3. Plugins: Extend functionality (e.g., e-commerce, SEO, forms).

  4. Database: Stores content, user data, plugin settings, and site configurations.

  5. Template System: Separates PHP templates, CSS styles, and media files to render pages dynamically.

This architecture makes WordPress flexible, maintainable, and scalable.


Types of Websites Built on WordPress

  1. Blogs and Personal Websites: Original purpose of WordPress.

  2. Business Websites: Corporate websites with portfolios, services, and contact pages.

  3. E-Commerce Stores: Using WooCommerce or Shopify plugins.

  4. News and Magazine Sites: Dynamic content, categories, and editorial workflows.

  5. Portfolio and Photography Websites: Showcase creative work with galleries.

  6. Community and Membership Sites: Forums, social networks, and membership portals.

  7. Educational Websites: E-learning platforms with courses, quizzes, and student management.


Advantages of WordPress

  1. Ease of Use: Minimal technical skills required to set up and manage a site.

  2. Cost-Effective: Free core software, with optional paid themes and plugins.

  3. Scalable: Suitable for small blogs to large enterprise websites.

  4. Customizable: Thousands of themes and plugins for unique functionality.

  5. SEO-Friendly: Optimized for search engines with plugins and built-in features.

  6. Community Support: Large community providing documentation, tutorials, and updates.

  7. Cross-Platform: Works on shared hosting, cloud servers, or dedicated servers.


Disadvantages of WordPress

  1. Security Vulnerabilities: Popularity makes it a frequent target for hackers.

  2. Plugin Dependency: Over-reliance on plugins can affect speed and compatibility.

  3. Maintenance: Requires regular updates for WordPress core, themes, and plugins.

  4. Performance: Large sites may require caching, CDN, and optimization for speed.


WordPress vs Other CMS Platforms

Feature WordPress Joomla Drupal
Ease of Use Very User-Friendly Moderate Complex
Themes & Plugins Thousands Hundreds Limited
Community Support Large & Active Medium Medium
SEO Features Excellent Good Excellent
Security Good (needs plugins) Moderate High (advanced)
Customization High Moderate Very High

WordPress stands out for ease of use, flexibility, and plugin ecosystem, making it ideal for beginners and businesses alike.


Modern Trends in WordPress

  1. Gutenberg Block Editor: Visual page building with drag-and-drop blocks.

  2. Headless WordPress: Using WordPress as a backend CMS with separate front-end frameworks like React.

  3. E-Commerce Growth: WooCommerce and other plugins powering online stores.

  4. Mobile Optimization: Themes and designs optimized for mobile-first users.

  5. AI Integration: AI-driven content generation, chatbots, and analytics tools.

  6. Cloud Hosting: Managed WordPress hosting on AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.


Real-World Applications

  • The New Yorker: Magazine and news content site.

  • BBC America: Media-rich entertainment platform.

  • Microsoft News: Uses WordPress for blogs and updates.

  • Sony Music: Portfolio and artist showcase websites.

WordPress powers websites across corporate, media, e-commerce, personal, and educational domains due to its flexibility and ease of use.


Conclusion

WordPress is a versatile, open-source CMS that has transformed website creation by making it accessible, customizable, and scalable. From simple blogs to complex enterprise websites, WordPress offers themes, plugins, and an intuitive interface that allow users to build modern, dynamic websites without extensive coding knowledge.

Its strong community, plugin ecosystem, SEO-friendly features, and flexibility ensure it remains the leading platform for web development, powering millions of websites worldwide. Whether for personal blogs, corporate portals, or e-commerce stores, WordPress continues to simplify website management and enable digital innovation.

Fresher Interview Questions

 

1. Basics of WordPress

Q1. What is WordPress?
Answer:
"WordPress is an open-source Content Management System (CMS) built on PHP and MySQL, used for creating websites and blogs. It provides themes, plugins, and a user-friendly dashboard to manage content easily."


Q2. Difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org

Feature WordPress.com WordPress.org
Hosting Hosted by WordPress Self-hosted
Customization Limited Full control
Cost Free/Paid plans Free (hosting cost extra)

Q3. What is a CMS?
"A CMS (Content Management System) is software that allows users to create, manage, and publish digital content without needing to write code."


Q4. What are the key features of WordPress?

  • Easy installation and setup

  • Thousands of themes and plugins

  • SEO-friendly

  • User management

  • Media management (images, videos)

  • Multilingual support


Q5. Why WordPress is popular?

  • Open-source and free

  • Large community and support

  • Customizable via themes and plugins

  • Easy to use for non-technical users


2. WordPress Architecture

Q6. What are WordPress themes?
"Themes control the look and feel of a WordPress site, including layout, colors, fonts, and page templates."


Q7. What are WordPress plugins?
"Plugins are extensions that add features or functionality to WordPress, like contact forms, SEO tools, security, and e-commerce."


Q8. Difference between theme and plugin

Feature Theme Plugin
Purpose Design and layout Add functionality
Dependency Can function without plugin Can work with multiple themes
Example Astra, Divi WooCommerce, Yoast SEO

Q9. What is a WordPress child theme?
"A child theme inherits the functionality of a parent theme and allows you to make customizations without modifying the original theme files."


Q10. What is the WordPress loop?
"The Loop is a PHP code structure that WordPress uses to display posts dynamically on a page or template."

Example:

<?php if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>
  <h2><?php the_title(); ?></h2>
  <?php the_content(); ?>
<?php endwhile; endif; ?>

Q11. What are WordPress hooks?
"Hooks allow developers to modify WordPress behavior without changing core files. Types: Actions and Filters."


Q12. Difference between actions and filters

Feature Actions Filters
Purpose Add or change functionality Modify data/content
Return value None Must return modified value

Q13. What is wp-config.php?
"wp-config.php contains database configuration, authentication keys, and other settings for WordPress."


Q14. What is functions.php?
"functions.php is a theme file used to define custom functions, actions, and filters for the theme."


Q15. What is the difference between post, page, and custom post type?

Feature Post Page Custom Post Type
Content type Blog entries Static content Developer-defined content
Order Chronological Hierarchical Customizable
Examples News, blog About, Contact Portfolio, Testimonials

3. WordPress Database

Q16. What database does WordPress use?
"WordPress uses MySQL or MariaDB to store content, settings, user information, and other data."


Q17. Name important WordPress database tables

  • wp_posts – stores posts, pages, and custom post types

  • wp_postmeta – metadata for posts

  • wp_users – user info

  • wp_usermeta – user metadata

  • wp_options – site settings


Q18. What is wp-admin?
"wp-admin is the backend dashboard of WordPress where administrators manage content, plugins, themes, and settings."


Q19. What is wp-content?
"wp-content folder contains themes, plugins, and uploaded media files."


Q20. Difference between WordPress.org database and MySQL database
"WordPress uses MySQL as its database. WordPress.org refers to self-hosted WordPress that connects to MySQL for storing data."


4. WordPress Security

Q21. How to secure a WordPress site?

  • Use strong passwords and change admin username

  • Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins updated

  • Install security plugins (Wordfence, Sucuri)

  • Use SSL (HTTPS)

  • Limit login attempts


Q22. What is a WordPress nonce?
"A nonce is a token used to verify that a request comes from a legitimate user, preventing CSRF attacks."


Q23. How to prevent brute force attacks?

  • Limit login attempts

  • Use CAPTCHA

  • Change default admin username

  • Use strong passwords


Q24. What is XSS and SQL injection in WordPress?

  • XSS (Cross-Site Scripting): Injecting malicious scripts into pages

  • SQL Injection: Malicious SQL code to manipulate database


Q25. How to backup WordPress?

  • Use plugins (UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy)

  • Manual backup of wp-content and database

  • Scheduled backups


5. WordPress Performance & Optimization

Q26. How to improve WordPress performance?

  • Use caching plugins (WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache)

  • Optimize images

  • Minify CSS/JS files

  • Use a CDN

  • Optimize database


Q27. What is a WordPress caching plugin?
"Caching plugins store a static version of pages to reduce server load and improve speed."


Q28. Difference between shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated hosting for WordPress

Hosting Type Description Performance
Shared Multiple sites share server Lower
VPS Virtual server, isolated Medium
Dedicated Entire server for one site High

Q29. What is a CDN?
"A Content Delivery Network (CDN) distributes site content globally to reduce loading time for users."


Q30. How to optimize WordPress images?

  • Compress images using plugins or online tools

  • Use WebP format

  • Lazy load images


6. SEO in WordPress

Q31. How WordPress is SEO-friendly?

  • Clean URLs (permalinks)

  • SEO plugins (Yoast, RankMath)

  • Mobile-friendly themes

  • Schema markup support


Q32. What are permalinks?
"Permalinks are the URLs of posts/pages. Can be configured in Settings > Permalinks."


Q33. How to create an SEO-friendly WordPress site?

  • Use proper headings (H1, H2)

  • Optimize meta tags

  • Use internal/external links

  • Optimize page speed


Q34. What is a sitemap?
"A sitemap is an XML file listing all site URLs to help search engines index content."


Q35. Difference between tags and categories

Feature Tags Categories
Purpose Micro-classification Broad grouping
Hierarchy Flat Hierarchical
Example “AI, PHP, WordPress” “Blog, Tutorials”

7. WordPress Plugins & Themes

Q36. What is WooCommerce?
"WooCommerce is a plugin to create e-commerce stores in WordPress, supporting products, payments, shipping, and orders."


Q37. Difference between free and premium WordPress plugins

Feature Free Plugin Premium Plugin
Cost Free Paid
Support Limited Priority support
Features Basic Advanced, extra functionality

Q38. What is Elementor?
"Elementor is a drag-and-drop WordPress page builder plugin used to design custom layouts without coding."


Q39. How to install a plugin in WordPress?

  • From dashboard: Plugins > Add New > Search > Install > Activate

  • Manual upload via FTP


Q40. How to update WordPress themes/plugins?

  • Dashboard > Updates > Select themes/plugins > Update


8. Miscellaneous

Q41. How to troubleshoot WordPress errors?

  • Enable debug mode (WP_DEBUG in wp-config.php)

  • Check error logs

  • Deactivate plugins/themes one by one

  • Clear cache


Q42. How to migrate a WordPress site?

  • Export/import database

  • Copy wp-content folder

  • Update wp-config.php with new DB credentials


Q43. Difference between WordPress posts and pages

  • Posts: Time-sensitive, appear in blog feed

  • Pages: Static content, like About or Contact


Q44. What is multisite WordPress?
"Multisite allows running multiple WordPress sites under one installation, sharing themes and plugins."


Q45. Difference between front-end and back-end in WordPress

Feature Front-end Back-end
Users Visitors Admins, editors
Purpose Display content Manage content, settings

Q46. What is REST API in WordPress?
"WordPress REST API allows external applications to interact with WordPress data using HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)."


Q47. What is Gutenberg editor?
"Gutenberg is WordPress’s block-based editor that allows designing pages/posts using blocks for text, media, and widgets."


Q48. What is a widget?
"Widgets are small blocks of content that can be added to sidebars, footers, or other areas of a WordPress site."


Q49. What are shortcodes in WordPress?
"Shortcodes are small codes like [gallery] that allow embedding complex content or features in posts/pages."


Q50. Best practices for WordPress development

  • Use child themes for customization

  • Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins updated

  • Backup regularly

  • Optimize for speed and SEO

  • Use security plugins and SSL

Experienced Interview Questions

 

Core WordPress Concepts

1. What is WordPress and its advantages?

Answer:
WordPress is an open-source CMS based on PHP and MySQL. Advantages:

  • Easy content management

  • Huge plugin ecosystem

  • SEO-friendly

  • Responsive themes

  • Active community and support


2. Difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org

Answer:

Feature WordPress.com WordPress.org
Hosting Managed Self-hosted
Plugins Limited Unlimited
Themes Limited Unlimited
Control Limited Full control

3. Explain the WordPress architecture.

Answer:

  • Core: PHP files providing CMS functionality

  • Themes: Front-end templates

  • Plugins: Add extra functionality

  • Database: MySQL storing posts, users, options

  • APIs: REST API, Hooks (actions & filters) for extensibility


4. What are Hooks in WordPress?

Answer:
Hooks allow developers to modify default behavior without changing core:

  • Action hooks: Add functionality (add_action('init', 'my_function'))

  • Filter hooks: Modify data before output (add_filter('the_content', 'modify_content'))


5. What is the difference between page and post?

Answer:

Feature Post Page
Purpose Blog content Static content
Date Shows published date Usually static
Categories/Tags Used Not used
Hierarchy Flat Can be hierarchical

6. What are Custom Post Types (CPTs)?

Answer:

  • Used to create content types other than posts and pages (e.g., portfolio, testimonials)

  • Defined using register_post_type()


7. Explain WordPress Template Hierarchy.

Answer:

  • WordPress looks for template files in a hierarchy when rendering a page:
    single-{post-type}.php → single.php → index.php

  • Helps override specific content types efficiently.


8. What are WordPress taxonomies?

Answer:

  • Categories and tags are default taxonomies

  • Custom taxonomies can be registered via register_taxonomy()

  • Used to organize and classify content


9. Difference between category and tag?

Answer:

  • Category: Broad grouping, hierarchical

  • Tag: Keywords, non-hierarchical, multiple per post


10. What is the WordPress Loop?

Answer:

  • Core PHP code that fetches posts from the database and displays them.

  • Example:

if (have_posts()) :
  while (have_posts()) : the_post();
    the_title();
    the_content();
  endwhile;
endif;

Themes & Plugins

11. Difference between parent and child theme?

Answer:

  • Parent theme: Original theme with all functionality

  • Child theme: Inherits parent theme functionality, allows safe modifications


12. How do you create a custom WordPress theme?

Answer:

  1. Create theme folder in wp-content/themes

  2. Add style.css with theme info

  3. Add index.php

  4. Optionally, create functions.php, templates, and enqueue scripts


13. What is functions.php used for?

Answer:

  • Acts like a plugin file for theme-specific functionality

  • Can enqueue scripts, register menus, add custom post types, and hooks


14. Explain difference between plugin and theme.

Answer:

  • Theme: Controls the appearance

  • Plugin: Adds functionality

  • Best practice: Keep functionality in plugins, not in themes


15. How do you enqueue scripts and styles in WordPress?

Answer:

function my_theme_scripts() {
  wp_enqueue_style('my-style', get_stylesheet_uri());
  wp_enqueue_script('my-script', get_template_directory_uri() . '/js/script.js', array('jquery'), null, true);
}
add_action('wp_enqueue_scripts', 'my_theme_scripts');

16. How do you create a shortcode?

Answer:

  • Shortcodes allow embedding dynamic content in posts/pages

function my_shortcode_function() {
  return "Hello, World!";
}
add_shortcode('hello', 'my_shortcode_function');

17. What are widgets?

Answer:

  • Widgets are blocks of content/functionality that can be added to sidebars, footers, or widgetized areas

  • Registered via register_sidebar() and used in themes


18. Difference between plugin hooks and theme hooks

Answer:

  • Plugin hooks: Modify functionality across site

  • Theme hooks: Modify output or templates in a specific theme


19. Explain the difference between add_action and add_filter.

Answer:

  • add_action: Executes a function at a specific point

  • add_filter: Modifies data before it is rendered


20. How do you create a custom plugin?

Answer:

  1. Create a folder in wp-content/plugins

  2. Add a main PHP file with plugin header

  3. Use hooks and functions to add functionality

<?php
/*
Plugin Name: My Custom Plugin
*/
function my_plugin_function() {
  return "Hello Plugin!";
}
add_shortcode('my_plugin', 'my_plugin_function');

Security & Performance

21. How do you secure a WordPress site?

Answer:

  • Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins updated

  • Use strong passwords and 2FA

  • Limit login attempts

  • Use security plugins like Wordfence, Sucuri

  • Regular backups


22. How do you prevent SQL injection?

Answer:

  • Use prepared statements with $wpdb->prepare()

$wpdb->get_results($wpdb->prepare("SELECT * FROM wp_users WHERE ID = %d", $user_id));

23. How do you optimize WordPress performance?

Answer:

  • Caching (object, page, browser)

  • Use CDNs

  • Minify CSS/JS

  • Optimize images

  • Use efficient queries and indexes


24. What are nonces in WordPress?

Answer:

  • Nonces prevent CSRF attacks

  • Created via wp_create_nonce() and verified with check_admin_referer()


25. How do you handle large media uploads?

Answer:

  • Increase upload_max_filesize and post_max_size in php.ini

  • Use plugins for chunked uploads or offload to S3/CDN


26. How do you monitor WordPress errors?

Answer:

  • Enable WP_DEBUG in wp-config.php

  • Use error logging plugins

  • Monitor PHP logs and server logs


27. How do you prevent brute-force login attacks?

Answer:

  • Limit login attempts

  • Enable 2FA

  • Use CAPTCHAs

  • Change default login URL with plugins


28. How to handle WordPress backups?

Answer:

  • Use plugins like UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy

  • Schedule automated backups

  • Backup files + database


29. Difference between REST API and WP AJAX

Answer:

  • REST API: External apps communicate via HTTP JSON endpoints

  • WP AJAX: Internal AJAX calls in WordPress admin or front-end


30. How do you debug a slow WordPress site?

Answer:

  • Check slow plugins/themes

  • Use query monitoring (Query Monitor)

  • Enable object caching

  • Optimize DB and media

  • Check server resources


Database & Queries

31. How do you create a custom database table in WordPress?

Answer:

  • Use dbDelta() with $wpdb->prefix

global $wpdb;
$table_name = $wpdb->prefix . "my_table";
$sql = "CREATE TABLE $table_name (id mediumint NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, name varchar(50), PRIMARY KEY(id));";
require_once(ABSPATH . 'wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php');
dbDelta($sql);

32. How do you insert/update/delete using $wpdb?

Answer:

$wpdb->insert($table, $data);
$wpdb->update($table, $data, $where);
$wpdb->delete($table, $where);

33. How do you run a custom query?

Answer:

$results = $wpdb->get_results("SELECT * FROM {$wpdb->prefix}posts WHERE post_status='publish'");

34. How do you get posts with custom meta?

Answer:

  • Use WP_Query with meta_query

$args = array('meta_query'=>array(array('key'=>'color','value'=>'red')));
$query = new WP_Query($args);

35. Difference between get_post_meta() and update_post_meta()

Answer:

  • get_post_meta(): Retrieves metadata

  • update_post_meta(): Adds/updates metadata


36. How do you migrate a WordPress site?

Answer:

  • Export/import database

  • Copy files (themes/plugins/uploads)

  • Update wp-config.php

  • Use search/replace for URLs


37. Explain transients in WordPress.

Answer:

  • Temporary cached data stored in DB or memory

  • Used for performance optimization (set_transient, get_transient)


38. Difference between site_url() and home_url()

Answer:

  • site_url(): Returns WordPress core files location

  • home_url(): Returns website’s front-end URL


39. How do you implement multilingual support?

Answer:

  • Use plugins like WPML, Polylang

  • Translate posts, menus, and themes

  • Consider gettext functions in code


40. What is Gutenberg editor?

Answer:

  • Block-based editor in WordPress

  • Allows creating modular content blocks

  • Supports reusable blocks, custom blocks via JS/React


41. How do you create a custom Gutenberg block?

Answer:

  • Use registerBlockType() in JS

  • Define edit and save functions

  • Optionally enqueue styles/scripts in PHP


42. How do you implement user roles and capabilities?

Answer:

  • Use add_role() to create roles

  • Use add_cap() to assign permissions

  • Example:

$role = add_role('editor_plus','Editor Plus', array('read'=>true,'edit_posts'=>true));
$role->add_cap('manage_options');

43. Difference between multisite and single site

Answer:

  • Single site: One WordPress installation

  • Multisite: Multiple sites under a single network, shared plugins/themes, centralized management


44. How do you handle WordPress cron jobs?

Answer:

  • Use wp_schedule_event() to schedule tasks

  • Hooks run during site visits or server cron can call wp-cron.php


45. How do you secure WordPress REST API endpoints?

Answer:

  • Use permission_callback when registering endpoints

  • Validate nonces for front-end

  • Use authentication: JWT, OAuth, or cookie-based


46. Explain differences between get_posts, WP_Query, and query_posts

Answer:

Function Notes
get_posts Simplified, returns array, does not modify main query
WP_Query Full-featured, multiple parameters, can run multiple queries
query_posts Modifies main loop, discouraged, use WP_Query instead

47. How do you implement AJAX in WordPress?

Answer:

  • Use admin-ajax.php

  • Enqueue JS script

  • Add actions: wp_ajax_my_action and wp_ajax_nopriv_my_action


48. Difference between is_page() and is_single()

Answer:

  • is_page(): Checks for a page template

  • is_single(): Checks for single post


49. How do you handle errors in WordPress plugins/themes?

Answer:

  • Use WP_Error object

  • Return error messages gracefully

  • Log errors with error_log() or custom logging


50. How do you optimize database queries?

Answer:

  • Use indexes

  • Avoid unnecessary joins

  • Cache results with transients or object cache

  • Use WP_Query efficiently with fields parameter