Your PHP version — a number you ignore that affects everything

PHP is the language that WordPress, WooCommerce and almost everything else on your server runs on. Its version is a number most website owners have never looked at.

And that number decides how fast your website is, and how secure.

The difference is bigger than it sounds

PHP 8 is almost twice as fast as PHP 7.4 for the same work. That isn’t a minor optimisation — it is a difference you can see.

If your website runs on PHP 7.4 or older, switching is the cheapest optimisation there is. It is free and takes two minutes.

The security part matters even more

Each PHP version gets security fixes for a set period, and then they stop.

PHP 7.4 has had no support since the end of 2022. That means holes discovered since then will never be fixed in that version.

A website on an unsupported PHP version is a website waiting for trouble.

And plugins gradually leave you behind

WooCommerce and the serious plugins require a minimum version. When they raise it, your website gets stuck on an old version of the plugin — which means no new features and no security fixes.

How to change it

In cPanel: Select PHP Version or MultiPHP Manager. Pick from the drop-down, save. Done.

But don’t go in blind.

Check first

The PHP Compatibility Checker plugin scans your theme and plugins and tells you what would break.

If you have a staging copy — switch there first, click through the website, and only then do it on the live one.

And make a backup. Always.

If something breaks

Usually it is an old plugin that uses something removed in the new version. The symptom: a white page or a “Fatal error” message.

The fix: switch back to the previous version in cPanel — that takes effect instantly — then find out which plugin is to blame and update or replace it.

Don’t stay on the old version because of one plugin. That plugin is a sign that something has been abandoned, and you are paying for it with the speed and security of your whole website.

Which version

The latest stable version your host supports, unless something specific requires an older one. With us, new accounts are set to the latest version, and you can always change it through cPanel.