The Site Health check is yet another relatively new feature of WordPress. Site Health was introduced in WordPress version 5.1 and improved in versions 5.2 and 5.3.
This feature’s primary goal is to help WordPress website administrators monitor their website’s performance, security, and speed.
Based on these tests, WordPress will display a progress value. Everyone wants the perfect score, one hundred percent.
I bet you too wish to do it.
The following post will walk you through the process of achieving a perfect site health score. Before getting started, let’s take a little time to understand this super cool feature.
What Is the Site Health Feature of WordPress?
Site Health provides a set of robust tools that helps users identify issues and fix them when things go wrong.
It initially focused on speed and security. WordPress 5.3 offers expanded suggestions, so you know what to look for when troubleshooting your site.
Tested WordPress websites are given a score based on several factors, including whether they are operating in the most optimal settings and whether all website areas are up-to-date.
The following items are tested for website security and performance.
Website Security
- Secure Communication
- Active Themes and It’s Status
- HTTP Connection
- Plugin Updates
- Background Updates Status
- Debug Mode Off
- communication with WordPress.org
Website Performance
- UTF8MB4 Support
- Performing Loopback Requests
- Installation of Recommended PHP Modules
- Latest PHP Version
- Working HTTP Requests
- REST API Availability
- WordPress Version
- Scheduled Events
- SQL Server Version
You can check your website’s health from your WordPress dashboard by going to Tools > Site Health.
The following pages are included in Site Health.
- Status page
- Info page
Site Health Status Page
The status page is the page that tells you how healthy your website is. Three labels are used to represent the different statuses.
- Good means you have passed tests.
- Recommended means modifications are advised, but they are not necessary
- Critical means that serious problems have been found that you need to address.
It is essential to give the most attention to critical issues and get them dealt with immediately.
Scrolling down on this Status page will show you what was checked, its status, and whether it’s a performance issue or a security issue.
Site Health Info Page
There’s lots of good information on this part of the site. Detailed information about the WordPress configuration will be displayed on this page when you switch tabs there.
There is information such as:
- What PHP Version Is Your Site Running?
- What Is the Memory Limit of Your Website?
- Information About Your Server and Database
- Does Your Site Use HTTPS?
Here, you can get troubleshooting information that is useful for debugging.
When something goes wrong, you only have to copy and paste the relevant information from this page and send it to your hosting or website support team.
How Does a Good Site Health Score Help You?
Having a good site health score indicates that your WordPress website functions optimally. That means:
- Enhanced User Experience
- Increased User Engagement
- Improved Website Security
- Faster Website
How to Get a 100% Site Health Score in WordPress?
1 – Keep WordPress Updated
Yes, this is very important! It may not seem like much, but it is!
You need to keep the website up-to-date if you want to keep it secure. The WordPress platform powers more than 64.6% of the websites online, making it a prime target for hackers.
If you don’t update WordPress, any intruders can get into your dashboard and ruin your website data.
WordPress has an automatic update feature that keeps things up to date for you.
2 – Keep Plugins and Themes up to date
WordPress is an open-source platform. Everyone can use it for free.
WordPress allows developers to extend WordPress functionality with plugins and themes to provide a better user experience.
Unfortunately, open-source functionality brings a vulnerability to this platform, allowing malicious hackers to peek through and steal important site information.
Fortunately, there is a solution. Stay UPDATED.
It would be best to stay updated with plugins and themes by updating them regularly. This provides a powerful defense against hackers.
3 – Remove Unused Plugins and Themes
Often, this type of error happens when you install a new plugin to fix a minor issue but forget to remove it from your WordPress dashboard.
Removing plugins that are no longer needed is good practice. This will help improve the site’s security and keep it updated.
4 – Use the Most Recent MySQL Server Version
MariaDB and MySQL are popular database management systems that WordPress uses for storing site data.
Make sure your website is using the recent MariaDB or MySQL version. If you are running on an older version, you must contact your web hosting provider to update them.
5 – Update Your PHP Version
A variety of factors are considered when evaluating a WordPress site’s health check feature, including the PHP version.
WordPress pages are created using the server-side PHP language. The website’s performance is crucially affected by the version of PHP running on the hosting server.
For better speed, use the latest PHP version; always. Your site may slow down if you use an old PHP version, and you may run into compatibility issues with the newest WordPress plugins and themes.
If you host with Rovity, we have the most current PHP version available for you.
6 – Turn off Debug Mode
Do not turn on debug mode unless you are tech-savvy and trying to debug. Users who know how to handle themes, plugins, and custom codes will benefit most from this feature.
When turned on, it will fill your dashboard with too many unnecessary notifications, which might leave you feeling lost.
7 – Install SSL Certificate and Use HTTPS Version
Almost all web hosting services offer free SSL certificates you can apply to your domain for free. Rovity offers A+ graded SSL Certificates free of cost.
Always use SSL and HTTPS on your website, regardless of the type of website.
8 – Keep the REST API Enabled
The WordPress REST API helps developers by allowing them to do specific actions through HTTP requests.
Other authorized applications can communicate with your WordPress site through the REST API. For maximum plugin functionality and better site health, keep REST API enabled.
9 – Ensure WP Cron Is Enabled
Cron is used to schedule various tasks on any website. WordPress includes a built-in cron feature. That helps WordPress schedule blog posts, keep an eye on the updates and perform other background tasks.
Make sure your hosting server can execute WordPress cron commands.
10 – Activate All the Recommended PHP Modules
PHP modules serve as extensions of the PHP programming language.
You can install or activate these recommended PHP modules yourself, or you can ask your hosting service to enable them for you. Rovity offers an easy-to-use interface to enable or disable PHP extensions with a single click.
11 – Choose a Better WordPress Hosting Provider
Many hosting services are available online, so finding the right one can be challenging.
Most people use cheap hosting first and move the site to a more expensive one when they can no longer manage it. You cannot quickly achieve this unless you put in a deliberate effort.
Rovity is a premium shared hosting company focusing on performance and security, so you are good here.
Conclusion
You can get a lot out of WordPress site health check if you use it right.
Following these tips will enable you to stay on top of any issues affecting your site’s health before they are discovered and adversely affect its performance.
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