Better Speed and Security for WordPress Websites with PHP 8

Is your WordPress website running on the latest version of PHP 8? If not, there are two main reasons why you need to consider it : speed and security

Underneath the hood of modern website builders and content management systems (CMS) is a foundation of code. WordPress in particular is our preferred CMS and is the platform of choice for 2 out of 5 websites on the internet today. 

The WordPress platform relies on the PHP coding language which is a popular open-source scripting language used by coders worldwide for web and application development.

As the internet evolves and websites become more complex, coding languages must keep up too – including PHP. Virtually every coding language releases regular updates to improve how computers read code and how developers write code in hopes becoming more efficient.

To this day PHP has released 8 major versions, with each version becoming more optimized than its predecessor. 

PHP 8 Makes Websites Faster

For starters, PHP 8 can handle 18.4% more requests per second than the previous version (PHP 7.4) due to various enhancements.

Because of this, WordPress websites will tend to experience faster load times and optimized functionality improvements as theme and plugin developers update their offerings to fully support PHP 8. 

For businesses and organizations, faster websites translate to higher engagement rates and greater opportunities to convert users into customers. 

PHP 8 Makes Websites Safer

The PHP coding language is supported by a community of developers that actively monitor emerging cybersecurity threats, determine if the threat will affect the PHP language, and release updates that keep it secure. 

Because many major website platforms (including WordPress) are built with PHP, cyber criminals have an incentive to try and exploit security vulnerabilities in order to perform cyber attacks within these platforms.

Due to rapid changes in technology, the community supporting the security side of PHP must eventually move on to exclusively support newer versions only, which means older versions will no longer receive security updates.

Commitment to Embark Care

At Embark, we are committed to monitoring the changing landscape within digital technology and continually seek ways to improve the maintenance of our client websites. That is why we have fully transitioned all of our websites under management to PHP 8 to ensure the most optimal performance and safety standards. If you built a website with us, you can rest assured that your site is utilizing the latest technology.

Partner with Embark

If you need support in upgrading to PHP 8 or are unsure about what version you are using, get in touch for a free consultation. 

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