Optimize MySQL & Stabilize CPU

My site lives on shared hosting and every time traffic climbs the CPU graph shoots up, MySQL queries crawl, and the whole place grinds to a halt. The slow-query log shows repeats of the same statements, and PHP pages spend far too long waiting, so visitors are met with 503 errors or endless spinners.

I’m after someone who can step in, profile what’s really happening, and remove the bottlenecks. The stack is straightforward—PHP talking to a MySQL database—yet slow performance on the PHP side suggests un-indexed or poorly written queries that need attention as much as any server-side tuning.

Please be comfortable using tools such as EXPLAIN, the MySQL slow-query log, pt-query-digest (or a similar analyser), and PHP profilers like Xdebug or Blackfire—bearing in mind the limitations of a shared-hosting environment. If query rewrites or schema changes are needed, I’ll handle deployment once we agree on the fixes; I just need clear, tested recommendations.

Deliverables
• A concise report outlining each root cause you find
• Optimised SQL or PHP code snippets ready to drop in
• Any MySQL configuration tweaks that are feasible on shared hosting
• Before-and-after metrics (CPU load, query time, page load) to prove the win

If that sounds like your kind of puzzle, let’s get started.