How to Troubleshoot and Identify Plugin Conflicts

Plugin conflicts are one of the most common causes of WordPress performance issues, broken layouts, and strange behavior. Here's how to spot and isolate them.

Conflicts usually occur when two or more plugins try to control the same functionality or when a plugin loads heavy scripts that override optimizations like caching, minification, or lazy loading.

Our team uses a safe diagnostic process to isolate and identify problem plugins, often without needing to take the site offline.

1. Clone the site to staging (if available) so you can troubleshoot safely.

2. Deactivate all plugins, then recheck the issue (speed drop, layout, etc.).

3. Reactivate one plugin at a time, checking performance or behavior after each.

4. Watch for changes in speed or display — the plugin that reintroduces the issue is likely the cause.

5. Consult plugin logs, console errors, or network tabs for deeper diagnostics if needed.

6. Share your findings with BionicWP — we may be able to exclude it from lazy loading or caching.

Pro Tip: Keep your plugin stack lean. If multiple plugins perform similar functions (e.g., several SEO or caching plugins), pick one and remove the rest to minimize risk of conflicts.