Symptom

BoltAudit reports TTFB above 800 ms for the homepage on a cold visit, or finds no x-cache: HIT header in the response. Hosting-managed caches (Kinsta, WP Engine, SiteGround) usually advertise their own headers — when those are absent on what should be a cached page, the cache isn't doing its job.

Impact

  • Every anonymous pageview runs the WordPress autoloader, all init hooks, and the full template stack.
  • TTFB stays in the 500–1500 ms range instead of dropping to the 30–100 ms most CDN-served caches deliver.
  • Database connections and PHP-FPM workers are spent on requests that didn't need them.

Manual fix

Recommended plugins by hosting tier:

  • Managed hosts (Kinsta, WP Engine, Pressable): use the host's built-in cache; install nothing.
  • LiteSpeed servers: install LiteSpeed Cache — it pairs with the server-side LSCache.
  • Generic shared/VPS: WP Super Cache or Cache Enabler for simple page cache; W3 Total Cache if you also need object/database cache and minification.

After enabling, verify a HIT:

CODE0

Apply Fix

The dashboard cannot install or configure a third-party caching plugin for you — that decision involves the host, the existing stack, and your traffic pattern. BoltAudit can detect when a page cache is missing and surface the right plugin for your hosting tier; installation stays manual on purpose.

What good looks like

Anonymous TTFB under 200 ms on second-visit, x-cache: HIT on every static page after warm-up.

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