If you host a website, its speed and security are only as good as your version of PHP. The problem with that? For the average WordPress seller or blogger, a PHP upgrade sounds a bit like a trip into the weeds.

You’ve created a website to sell homemade candles or blog about reality TV and now someone is asking you to learn programming languages? That’s right. You may not fully understand what it means, and you certainly don’t spend most of your day thinking about it.

But it’s important, and updating it can be easier than you think. So let’s explore why and how you should update your PHP to keep your WordPress website up to date.

What is WordPress PHP (and why should you update it)?

PHP is a slightly confusing acronym for hypertext preprocessor. In short, it’s an open-source scripting language that forms the core of WordPress. It encrypts data for greater security. It also forms the infrastructure for publishing your dynamic blog content through the WordPress CMS.

Think of it as the tracks that keep your WordPress website train running smoothly.

Like WordPress itself, PHP also comes in different versions. These versions evolve with the web, adding features that keep your site secure.

Why should you bother updating it?

First of all, newer PHP versions make your website faster and increase performance. For example, according to DMTwebhosting, jumping from PHP version 5.6 to 7.0 doubled the site’s performance. But you also need to keep up with your hosting plan.

PHP versions now go up to 8, although versions 7.3 and 7.4 are still popular. Which version should you use? Well, if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you already need to upgrade. With version 7.3, your website will at least meet Dmtwebhosting’s current requirements.

The good news is that upgrading your PHP is much easier than it sounds. Here are the steps involved.

How to diagnose your PHP in WordPress

There are several ways to update your PHP, and you’ll see them below. However, we’ll start with running it directly through WordPress, as it has one key advantage: you can check your PHP version at a glance.

To find out your PHP version, do the following:

• In the WordPress dashboard, go to Tools > Site Health.
  When you click on Server, you should see a line listing the current status of your server’s PHP version.
  If you don’t see the version you want yet, it’s time to move on to the next step.

How to update your WordPress PHP in DMTwebhosting.

If you’re using DMTwebhosting, you can navigate to your cPanel and use the MultiPHP Manager to change your PHP version.

Log in to your cPanel.
Go to the quick functions search bar and type multi. This will bring up the MultiPHP manager quite easily. Click on it.
Scroll down and select the appropriate domain.
Scroll down to the PHP version, click on the version you want, and then click Apply.
Look for the message “Successfully applied PHP version…”.
If you created a phpinfo file in the steps below, refresh this page to see if the changes took effect.

About the author
DMTwebhosting.com’s Editorial Team prides itself on bringing you the latest web hosting news and the best web hosting articles!
You could also link to the news and articles sections:
http://www.DMTwebhosting.com/blog
https://www.facebook.com/DMThostingOfficial/