As WordPress site owners, or professionals in the field, we know that there is something called PHP – and that it is a very essential component of a WordPress site. But if we're being honest, there's a decent chance we're not really sure what this thing does and why it is so important.
PHP, to explain briefly, is essentially the engine of the site. Every time a visitor enters a WordPress site, asks to view a page, submits a form or performs some action, PHP is the one that processes the request and returns the result to the browser. As with any technology and system, new versions are released from time to time. Each version aims to improve the performance of its predecessor, to block security vulnerabilities discovered in older versions, and to add new capabilities. Older versions, naturally, stop being supported and receiving updates over time – and from that moment, any new security problem that is discovered will not receive updates that address it and will become a much more complex problem, and in general the site will run on an engine that does not meet current performance standards.
Speed, compatibility and security
That is, an old PHP version – to continue the previous analogy – is like an outdated engine in a car: it may still run, but it is slower, consumes more resources, sometimes requires improvisation, and does not meet current standards. And even though more than 60% of the WordPress sites in the world still run on versions that are unsupported or only partially supported – such as PHP 7.4 and below – it is not worth staying there. An outdated version makes the site load more slowly, harms the user experience, and leaves security holes open that can turn into a real problem. Performance tests found that upgrading to new versions can speed up site loading by hundreds of percent, with everything that implies. And on the security side, every additional day with an unsupported version is a day on which the site is exposed to unnecessary risks – even if the hosting environment is protected. New versions, we should add, are the key to full compatibility with WordPress and the leading plugins, so delaying the upgrade increases the chance of glitches and plugins that will not work in the future, and complicates matters further.
"I'm afraid some of the plugins won't work after the upgrade"
Sometimes a version upgrade does require adjustments in components such as plugins or the design, so it is important to carry out the update in a controlled manner. Dedicated hosting companies, certainly the leading ones, offer solutions for this. At BeeOpress, for example, among other things, development environments are available to the customer, allowing them to test the site on a new version in a separate environment, make sure everything works, and only then move to the "real" site. At the leading companies you can also upgrade the PHP version directly from the account management interface – usually with just one click – and even upgrade several sites at once. This makes the process simple, fast and safe, without getting tangled up in complex technical settings.
How do you get started?
If your site is hosted with a company that provides a dedicated managed service for WordPress, such as uPress , Kinsta and SiteGround, the management interface offers various upgrade options, and usually, as mentioned, you can also perform the update directly from there, after you have checked that the site's components are compatible with the new version. If you are using a more independent infrastructure, or hosting that does not specialize in WordPress, it is worth turning to a developer or a skilled technical team to carry out the upgrade in a controlled manner – including a full backup and a compatibility check – to avoid unpleasant surprises.
In summary
Upgrading the PHP version is not "just another technical update" – it is a direct investment in the performance, security and future of the site. The sooner you do it, the longer you will enjoy the benefits and the more unnecessary risks you will reduce.
