---
title: Website Performance Maintenance — Ahrefs 100 Score
type: article
created: '2026-04-05'
updated: '2026-04-05'
source_docs:
- raw/2026-01-22-impromptu-zoom-meeting-116338672.md
tags:
- website-maintenance
- ahrefs
- wordpress
- performance
- bot-traffic
- crazy-lennys
layer: 2
client_source: Crazy Lenny's E-Bikes
industry_context: ecommerce
transferable: false
---

# Website Performance Maintenance — Ahrefs 100 Score

## Overview

During a deep backend audit of client websites, Mark identified severe performance degradation on Crazy Lenny's WordPress site hosted on WP Engine. The site was being overwhelmed by bot traffic and had accumulated plugin and database issues causing 502 errors and hundreds of simultaneous database queries. A full maintenance pass resolved these issues, bringing the Ahrefs quality score from 89 to 100.

This work is part of a broader initiative to address backend neglect across all managed client sites. See [[wiki/knowledge/website-maintenance-backend-neglect-pattern]] for the cross-client pattern.

## Findings

| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Quality Score | ~89 | 100 |
| Database Queries (concurrent) | 600+ | ~60 |
| 502 Errors | Present | Resolved |

### Root Causes Identified

- **Bot traffic:** The site was being "hammered" by bot traffic, overwhelming the WP Engine server and causing 502 gateway errors.
- **Plugin issues:** Unspecified plugin conflicts contributing to error load.
- **Database bloat/errors:** Accumulated database issues driving excessive query counts.

## Actions Taken

- Blocked bot traffic via Cloudflare configuration updates
- Resolved plugin conflicts
- Cleaned up database errors and optimized query performance
- Verified resolution using Query Monitor (WordPress plugin)

## Client Communication Guidance

Frame these fixes as **proactive maintenance**, not as correcting past neglect. Recommended framing:

> "We've been doing maintenance on your website — your quality score is now 100."

Avoid language that invites the question "why was it broken in the first place?" This is especially important for clients like Blue Point or Flynn who would escalate that framing. Steve (Crazy Lenny's) is less likely to react negatively, but the positive framing is still preferred.

Mark will send a maintenance report to Steve summarizing the work done.

## Action Items

- [x] Mark to send Steve a maintenance report covering Ahrefs score, bot/query fixes

## Related

- [[wiki/clients/current/crazy-lennys/_index]]
- [[wiki/clients/current/doodla/2026-04-05-website-performance-maintenance]] — Doodla received similar treatment (score improved from ~40 to 80)
- [[wiki/knowledge/website-maintenance-backend-neglect-pattern]]
- [[wiki/meetings/2026-04-05-internal-sync]]