For an owner of a WordPress website, one of the most critical aspects of cheap hosting for WordPress site is website performance. A website that loads quickly enhances the user experience and improves a website’s SEO ratings, user engagement, and the site’s overall performance. Website owners focus on the hosting infrastructure, caching systems, and content delivery networks. However, they often overlook the importance of the website’s PHP version.
Considering that WordPress is primarily written in PHP, the PHP version supported by the hosting provider has an impact on the website’s performance, security, and interoperability. In this piece, we will look at the implications of PHP versioning for WordPress site hosting performance and the need for regular updates.
Why PHP
is Important in WordPress Hosting
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is the server-side scripting language that powers WordPress. While a visitor accesses a website, PHP processes the access and interacts with the database to deliver the requested content. Let’s take a look at a user looking for a certain blog post. PHP will retrieve the post’s content, and the themed styling will be rendered before the HTML content is sent to the browser.
As we have seen, PHP is the backbone of WordPress,
so the processes are mutually dependent on the version of PHP. In simpler
terms, your WordPress website will run smoothly if the PHP version is updated.
Performance
Boost with Newer PHP Versions
Every release of PHP comes with its own set of performance, bug fixes, and memory improvements. As per industry benchmarks, the newer a version of PHP is, the greater the capacity of the websites to handle requests per second.
For
example:
●
PHP 5.6 (obsolete) struggles with
modern WordPress needs and, in fact, slows the site down massively.
●
PHP 7.4 offered nearly 3x faster
execution than PHP 5.6 and had a significant reduction in loading time.
● PHP 8.0 and newer versions started introducing ‘just in time’ (JIT) compilation, which improved performance for complex operations and heavy traffic websites.
The performance benefits of these newer PHP
versions are not limited to just faster websites. They also allow the hosting
servers to sustain a greater number of concurrent users without crashing. For
e-commerce and membership sites and even news portals, these benefits are
likely to result in improved sales and enhanced user retention.
Security
and Stability
The security risk that different versions of PHP pose is also pertinent. Older PHP versions miss critical security updates, which could expose the websites to attacks. Take PHP 5.6, for example; it has been end-of-life for years now, but many outdated servers still running it pose a tremendous risk for no reason.
By adopting the latest PHP version, you guarantee
that you will receive the following:
●
Updated security issues will not
pose any threats.
●
Improvement in stability will be
seen with WordPress plugins and themes.
●
Meeting the specific security
standards set by the hosting is achievable.
One of the many Hosting Providers recommends that WordPress websites run on at least PHP 8.0, which provides a good balance for performance and long-term support.
Compatibility
with WordPress Core, Themes, and Plugins
The WordPress development team is actively
encouraged to optimize the CMS for the latest PHP versions. Hence, newer
versions of PHP 8.0 and above are vigorously tested. There are several issues
that could stem from running an outdated PHP version, such as
●
Plugin incompatibility
●
Theme errors
● Unexpected downtime
Numerous plugin developers no longer support older
versions of PHP. This can cause bugs or features to misbehave on a website.
Updating PHP versions allows for safer updates to themes, plugins, and the
WordPress core without conflicts.
How to
Verify and Update Your PHP Version
To check the version of PHP running on your WordPress site, take the following simple steps:
●
Log in to your WordPress
dashboard.
●
Go to Tools > Site Health >
Info.
● In the Server section, check your PHP version.
If your PHP version is outdated, many hosting
companies, like MilesWeb, Bluehost, and SiteGround, allow you to change your
PHP version using cPanel or their hosting control panel. It is a good idea to:
●
Make a backup of your WordPress
site.
●
Check the compatibility of your
plugins or themes in a staging environment.
●
Update the WordPress core as well
as plugins.
Hosting
Providers and PHP Support
Not all hosting providers take the initiative to upgrade PHP versions. Some may maintain obsolete versions for backward compatibility. WordPress hosting providers who actively allow the use of the latest PHP versions ensure optimization for the site.
Some providers, like MilesWeb hosting companies,
offer unmatched support for new PHP versions, enabling websites to function
properly. Such providers allow users to change PHP versions with a click, so
the users also have some control and flexibility.
Conclusion
Ever-increasing importance of PHP versions in WordPress hosting performance is undeniable. With increased page loading speed, improved resource allocation, enhanced site security, improved interoperability, and more, upgrading PHP is one of the easiest and most effective of the recommended actions for the WordPress site.
Anyone still using older PHP versions should take action now. Find a reliable hosting provider with solid PHP support, it will improve WordPress security and make your site faster.
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