How to speed up WooCommerce search on large stores [free solution]
We’ve recently experienced some serious issues with WooCommerce search on eCommerce sites that process a large number of orders. The post meta table needs to be queried when looking for a specific meta_value, which causes a major slowdown. For example, querying the “my orders” section would take 5 seconds or possibly even more, depending on the server environment. To make matters worse, performing searches on the “Orders” screen for orders belonging to a specific email or person can take 30 seconds or more (due to the involvement of extra JOINs on the post meta table).
Both of the above examples are unacceptable for a website with a high amount of traffic and had to be addressed.
Traditional Solutions and Associated Limitations