Make WordPress Quick: the host is on an old PHP version

When the request is make wordpress quick, we look at the live site first. The check we expect to matter is: the host is on an old PHP version.

A specific fault, not a slogan

• The host is on an old PHP version
• A slider or page builder loads a pile of scripts on every URL
• The site is fast in the office and slow from a phone
• A backup, security, or statistics plugin runs on each page view

What gets checked

Caching a page that is slow because of one query makes the first visitor wait and hides the cause. The query or the plugin still has to be fixed.

• The URL that is actually slow, measured more than once
• The query or remote call that dominates the slow request
• Whether a cache plugin is already installed and mis-set
• The PHP version and the hosting limits

What you can send first

The first fix is the largest of those, not a stack of cache plugins. Caching comes after the page is doing less work, and only if it will not mix up carts or logins.

We measure the slow URL before we install anything. The time is usually in one plugin, one query, one set of images, or a PHP version the host left behind.

If you are outside Toronto, the call is the same. We say what we found and what the work is before we change the site.

Call 905-426-1784. We look at the site and tell you what the work is before it starts. The service page for this is WordPress speed help.