When it comes to your WordPress website, ensuring it runs efficiently, securely, and quickly is critical to both user experience and the long-term stability of your site. One of the key components that powers your WordPress site function is a server programming language called PHP. However, just like any software, PHP needs regular updates to keep your site secure, fast, and compatible with the latest technology. In this post, we’ll explain in simple terms what PHP does for your WordPress site, why upgrading to the latest version of PHP 8 is essential, and how our team at Inspry can help you assess whether your site needs an upgrade.

What is PHP and What Does It Do for WordPress?

PHP is a programming language that powers the core functions of your WordPress site. Think of it as the engine under the hood of a car. While you may not see it working, PHP handles all the behind-the-scenes operations that make your website interactive and dynamic.

Whenever someone visits your WordPress site, PHP helps retrieve information from your database (like blog posts or product details) and displays it on the screen. PHP also handles tasks such as:

• Processing form submissions (like a contact form or a WooCommerce checkout order form)
• Managing WordPress user logins and accounts
• Communicating with your server to load your content, images, and more

Without PHP, your WordPress site wouldn’t be able to function as an interactive website. It’s one of the most important components that make WordPress sites dynamic, user-friendly, and scalable.

Why Does PHP Get Updated?

Like any software, PHP gets regular updates from the working group behind PHP. These updates look to improve its functionality, add new features, enhance performance, and, most importantly, patch security vulnerabilities. As technology advances, new threats emerge, and hackers find new ways to exploit older versions of software. PHP updates address these security issues, making your website more secure from attacks.

Another reason for updates is to improve performance. Each new version of PHP is typically faster than the last, which means your WordPress site will load more quickly and handle more visitors without slowing down. For example, PHP 8 introduced significant performance improvements with Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation, which means your site can run more efficiently and handle much more traffic.

Finally, updates are important for compatibility. As WordPress and its plugins and themes evolve, they are built to work with the latest PHP versions. If you’re running an outdated version of PHP, some plugins or themes may not work properly, or worse, your entire site could crash since the developers didn’t build the latest version of their plugins or themes with an older PHP version in mind.

Why You Shouldn’t Be on PHP 7.4

While PHP 7.4 was once the gold standard, it reached end of life (EOL) many moons ago, meaning it no longer receives security updates. This is a serious risk because any vulnerabilities discovered after EOL won’t be patched, leaving your WordPress site open to potential attacks.

Unfortunately, many sites are stuck on PHP 7.4 because PHP 8 brought changes to the codebase that made it incompatible with many outdated WordPress plugins and themes. Today though, not running PHP 8 can lead to compatibility issues that may cause your website to crash, as most developers no longer test their plugins or themes with outdated versions like PHP 7.4.

Aside from security risks, PHP 7.4 also falls behind in terms of performance compared to PHP 8. The speed and efficiency improvements introduced in PHP 8 are substantial, so continuing to run PHP 7.4 means your site is likely slower and less efficient than it could be.

Why Your WordPress Site Needs the Latest Version of PHP 8.2

It’s not enough to just be on PHP 8. Running the latest version of PHP 8.2 or newer ensures that your site is secure, fast, and optimized for today’s web standards. You might wonder why we don’t recommend PHP 8.3 yet? This is because PHP 8.3 is a major upgrade to PHP and many WordPress plugins and themes have not caught up at the time of this writing.

Regardless, you should be on at least PHP 8.2 for the following reasons:

1. Security: Each new PHP version comes with security patches to protect your site from vulnerabilities. Running the latest version ensures your WordPress site is safeguarded from the latest threats.
2. Performance: Every new release of PHP 8 brings performance improvements that help your site load faster, reduce server load, and handle more traffic without slowing down. This is especially important for WooCommerce sites or websites with high traffic, as faster load times lead to better user experiences and higher conversion rates.
3. Bug Fixes: Updates to PHP often include fixes for bugs found in previous versions. These bug fixes can prevent unexpected errors and ensure your site runs smoothly without disruptions.
4. Compatibility: Many WordPress themes and plugins are developed and tested with the latest PHP version in mind. Using an outdated PHP version can cause these themes or plugins to malfunction, break, or perform poorly, resulting in a negative user experience.
5. Future-Proofing: As WordPress continues to evolve, so do the technologies that support it. Keeping your PHP version up to date ensures that your website remains compatible with future updates, reducing the risk of having to perform major upgrades down the line.

What Happens If You Don’t Upgrade?

Staying on an old version of PHP is unlikely to immediately cause your website to fail or be hacked, but it then becomes a ticking time bomb that could be compromised any day and cause such issues as:-

• Security risks: Older versions are more vulnerable to attacks, and once they reach EOL, no further security patches are provided.
• Slower performance: Your site may run more slowly, leading to poor user experience, higher bounce rates, and potentially lower search engine rankings.
• Broken functionality: Outdated PHP versions may not be compatible with newer WordPress themes, plugins, or features, causing parts of your website to break or malfunction.
• Increased costs: Over time, running outdated software can result in more expensive fixes and maintenance as issues build up and the risk of an attack increases.

How Inspry Can Help

At Inspry, we specialize in WordPress development, maintenance, and optimization, and we understand the critical role PHP plays in your site’s performance and security. We offer a free consultation to assess whether your site is running an outdated version of PHP and whether you need to upgrade to the latest PHP 8.2 version.

As part of our consultation, we can:

• Check your current PHP version and assess any potential risks
• Test your WordPress theme and plugins for compatibility with the latest PHP version
• Handle the upgrade process smoothly, ensuring there is no downtime for your website
• Monitor your site post-upgrade to ensure everything runs smoothly

Reach out to us today for a free consultation to see if your WordPress site needs a PHP upgrade. We’ll make sure your site is running at its best with the latest technology.