What Is BD Speed Optimizer?
BD Speed Optimizer is a WordPress performance plugin that combines a site speed scanner with toggle-based frontend optimizations and database cleanup tools. It analyzes your site against 14 performance checks, calculates a score from 0 to 100, and gives you one-click controls to fix most issues.
Key Features
- Performance scanner — 14 checks across frontend optimizations and database health, producing a 0–100 speed score
- 9 frontend optimization toggles — defer JS, delay JS, remove jQuery Migrate, minify HTML, lazy load images, lazy load iframes, disable emojis, disable embeds, remove query strings
- 2 resource hint fields — DNS prefetch and preconnect domain configuration
- 3 database checks — post revisions, spam/trash comments, expired transients
- Database cleanup — one-click buttons to clean revisions, spam comments, transients, and optimize tables
- No database tables — all settings stored in a single option (
bdso_settings) - License-gated frontend optimizations — the scanner and database cleanup always work; frontend optimizations require an active license
Installation
- Download the BD Speed Optimizer plugin ZIP file from getbdshield.com/shop.
- In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
- Select the ZIP file and click Install Now.
- Click Activate Plugin. You will be automatically redirected to the BD Speed Optimizer dashboard.
System Requirements
- WordPress 5.6 or later
- PHP 7.4 or later
- A valid license key is required for frontend optimizations to take effect on your site (scanner and database cleanup work without a license)
Activating Your License
- Navigate to BD Speed → License tab in the WordPress admin sidebar.
- Enter your license key and click Activate.
- Once activated, your tier, expiration date, and site count are displayed.
All tiers include the full feature set. The difference is the number of sites:
| Tier | Sites | Frontend Optimizations | Scanner & DB Cleanup | Priority Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1 | Yes | Yes | No |
| Professional | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agency | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Important: Without a license, you can still run the scanner and clean your database. However, the frontend optimization toggles (defer JS, lazy load, etc.) will not be applied to your site even if they are turned on in settings.
Running the Performance Scanner
The scanner is the first thing you see when you open BD Speed Optimizer. Here is how to use it:
- Go to BD Speed → Scanner tab in the WordPress admin sidebar.
- Click the Run Scan button below the score circle.
- The plugin instantly evaluates all 14 checks and displays your speed score.
The scan runs entirely on the server side and completes in a single AJAX request. It does not make external HTTP requests or load your frontend pages — it checks your current settings configuration and queries the database for cleanup candidates.
Understanding Your Speed Score
The speed score ranges from 0 to 100 and is calculated by adding up the weight of each passing check. A score of 100 means all checks pass. The score is displayed in a circular gauge with a gradient ring that fills based on your score.
How Scoring Works
Each of the 14 checks has a weight value. When a check passes, its weight is added to your total score. The maximum possible score is 100 (the sum of all weights is capped at 100).
Checks can have three statuses:
- Pass (green) — the optimization is enabled or the cleanup item has zero entries. Its weight counts toward your score.
- Fail (red) — the optimization is disabled or there are items to clean up. Its weight does not count.
- Warning (yellow) — used for DNS Prefetch and Preconnect, which are optional. These do not count as failures but do add to your score when configured.
All 14 Checks Explained
The scanner evaluates two categories of checks: Frontend Optimizations (11 checks) and Database Health (3 checks).
Frontend Optimization Checks
| # | Check | Weight | What It Evaluates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Defer JavaScript Loading | 8 | Whether the defer_js setting is enabled. When on, non-critical scripts get a defer attribute so they download in parallel and execute after parsing. jQuery core and WooCommerce scripts are excluded. |
| 2 | Delay JS Execution | 7 | Whether the delay_js setting is enabled. When on, scripts are replaced with data-bdso-src attributes and only load when the user first interacts with the page (scroll, click, touch, or keydown) or after a 5-second timeout. |
| 3 | Remove jQuery Migrate | 6 | Whether the remove_jquery_migrate setting is enabled. jQuery Migrate is a compatibility script loaded by default that most modern themes and plugins do not need. |
| 4 | Minify HTML Output | 7 | Whether the minify_html setting is enabled. When on, the plugin strips HTML comments (except IE conditionals), collapses whitespace between tags, and reduces multiple spaces to single spaces. |
| 5 | Lazy Load Images | 8 | Whether the lazy_load_images setting is enabled. When on, the plugin adds loading="lazy" to <img> tags in post content and featured images that do not already have the attribute. |
| 6 | Lazy Load Iframes | 6 | Whether the lazy_load_iframes setting is enabled. When on, the plugin adds loading="lazy" to <iframe> tags in post content (YouTube embeds, Google Maps, etc.). |
| 7 | Disable WordPress Emojis | 7 | Whether the disable_emojis setting is enabled. When on, the plugin removes the emoji detection script, emoji styles, related filters, and the TinyMCE emoji plugin. |
| 8 | Disable WordPress Embeds | 6 | Whether the disable_embeds setting is enabled. When on, the plugin removes the oEmbed REST route, discovery links, embed JavaScript, TinyMCE embed plugin, and embed rewrite rules. |
| 9 | Remove Query Strings | 5 | Whether the remove_query_strings setting is enabled. When on, the plugin strips ?ver= parameters from CSS and JS file URLs. This improves caching by CDNs and proxy servers that do not cache URLs with query strings. |
| 10 | DNS Prefetch Configured | 5 | Whether any domains are listed in the dns_prefetch setting. Status is “pass” if at least one domain is configured, “warning” if empty. This is optional and does not count as a failure. |
| 11 | Preconnect Configured | 5 | Whether any domains are listed in the preconnect_domains setting. Status is “pass” if at least one domain is configured, “warning” if empty. This is optional and does not count as a failure. |
Database Health Checks
| # | Check | Weight | What It Evaluates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Post Revisions Cleaned | 10 | Counts the number of post revisions in the wp_posts table (where post_type = 'revision'). Passes if the count is zero. Shows the exact count if revisions exist. |
| 13 | Spam/Trash Comments Cleaned | 8 | Counts comments in the wp_comments table with status “spam” or “trash”. Passes if the count is zero. |
| 14 | Expired Transients Cleaned | 7 | Counts expired transients in the wp_options table by checking _transient_timeout_* entries whose value (timestamp) is less than the current time. Passes if zero expired transients exist. |
Total Weight Breakdown
Frontend checks total: 8 + 7 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 6 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 70 points
Database checks total: 10 + 8 + 7 = 25 points
Combined total: 95 points (score is capped at 100)
After the Scan
After running a scan, two result sections appear below the score circle:
- Frontend Optimizations — a checklist showing each frontend check with its pass/fail/warning status and a description. Failed checks that can be fixed by toggling a setting include a reference to the setting key.
- Database Cleanup — a checklist of database checks plus action buttons to clean each category (covered in the next article).
To improve your score, navigate to the Settings tab to enable the frontend toggles, or use the cleanup buttons in the scanner results to clean your database.
Understanding the Admin Menu
BD Speed Optimizer adds a menu item called BD Speed in the WordPress admin sidebar, using the performance (speedometer) icon. It appears at position 84 in the menu order. The plugin has three tabs:
- Scanner (default) — run the performance scan and view results
- Settings — toggle frontend optimizations and configure resource hints
- License — license key activation, deactivation, and plan comparison