Keep your PHP version up to date on WordPress

What is PHP and which version are you using for your WordPress website? Let’s find out if you need an update and how to do that.

When you use your website, you will likely be interacting with CSS and JavaScript. That’s only once the page has loaded. Before that, on the server, your website is hosted on, there’s a good chance your WordPress website is running on PHP.

This is the programming language that runs the backend of your website and makes it all work. It’s incredibly important to keep it up to date and how you can tell if you need to do that with your website right now.

What even is PHP?

Put simply, PHP is an open-source programming language. This means that it’s free to use which is why it is one of the most popular languages for website development. It’s also why it’s highly likely that your WordPress website is using it too.

JavaScript and CSS are both programming languages too, but they are used on the client’s side. PHP is a server-side language and acts as a middleman between the server and the client. It plays a critical role in website performance which brings us to why it needs to be updated.

Why you must update your PHP version on WordPress.

Your website’s performance relies on PHP. It’s no good if your content is optimised but the website doesn’t load quickly and properly. This is why PHP undergoes contact updates that improve security, speed and make it less resource-hungry.

It is recommended that you use PHP 7.4 or higher on WordPress, but right now the latest version is 8.2. Version 8 can handle 18.4% more requests per second which is a massive improvement and a good reason to be updating if you have not already.

The last reason that we want to bring up is support. Older versions of PHP do not have active support. In December 2021, security support ended for version 7.4. This means that if your website is not running a more recent version, you are overdue for an update.

How to find the PHP version of your WordPress website.

It’s very easy to find which version of PHP your website is using. All we have to do is check the hosting management panel.

Go to the back end of your hosting account and find a menu called PHP settings. The menu might have a similar name, like PHP Version Manager. Here you should find which version your website is running on.

If you have a development team that manages your website, you can ask them for it or ask them to install a plugin that will allow you to see which version you are using from the back end of your website.

It’s better to update your PHP Version with skilled developers.

Unless your website is a cookie-cutter template from WordPress, your website likely uses custom scripts, a unique theme and multiple plugins. These all make your website perform better and set it apart from your competition. They can also cause problems if you update your PHP without a team that understands what is happening in the back end of your website.

As part of our website maintenance services, Web2Web can take care of updating your PHP with no problems. Our team of highly skilled developers understands WordPress inside and out, allowing your website to be upgraded to run at its best with little to no downtime. If you need to update your PHP version, then contact Web2Web today.

Tel: 021 551 2060
Email: [email protected]