VitalLens

Why do some pages say "lab only"?#

Google only publishes real-user data for URLs with enough traffic. Those pages are still checked, but what comes back is one simulated load rather than what your visitors experienced. VitalLens says so rather than mixing the two.

Checks have stopped running. Why?#

WP-Cron only fires when somebody visits your site, so on a quiet site it drifts or stalls. VitalLens flags an overdue run on the dashboard instead of letting the gap pass unnoticed. Settings gives you a real cron command, with the paths already filled in for your install.

Can I get the data out?#

Yes, three ways: a CSV of every tracked page with its latest reading, a CSV of one page's whole history, and a printable report that your browser saves as a PDF. See Alerts, exports & backups.

How much does it cost in API calls?#

One call per page per device, per run. Thirty pages on mobile and desktop checked daily is about 1,800 calls a month, against a free allowance of 25,000 a day. The Tracked pages screen shows the figure for your own selection before you save it.

Does it slow down my site?#

No. Checks run in the background a few pages at a time, and nothing is added to your front end: no script, no tracking, no extra requests for visitors.

What happens to my data if I deactivate or delete the plugin?#

Nothing, either way, and updating never touches it. Deactivating stops the schedule and writes a backup to your uploads folder. Deleting keeps your tracked pages and every stored check, so re-installing picks up exactly where you left off. A tick box under Your data on the Settings screen removes the tables if you want them gone.

Is my API key ever sent anywhere other than Google?#

No. It is stored in your database, used only to sign requests to the PageSpeed Insights API, never written to a backup snapshot, and never sent to Zactonz.

Which WordPress and PHP versions are supported?#

WordPress 6.2 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer. It is tested with WordPress 7.1.