With the WordPress 5.2 release comes the new Site Health feature to help website owners improve performance in any WordPress website
Below we cover how to resolve Site Health performance issues.
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Performance Checks
Performance tests check that background tasks are stable and fully-functional.
PHP
An updated PHP version improves security within the code and speed of the overall website.
Update your PHP version in cPanel. VPS/Dedicated server customers can update the
default PHP version in WebHost Manager (WHM).
Want more? VPS / Dedicated users should remove old PHP versions for improved security and enable PHP-FPM in WHM for improved performance.
Recommended Modules
WordPress recommends you install and enable a list of PHP extensions for top performance. Such PHP changes must be made via
cPanel or your
php.ini file.
Want more? View your PHP settings and more using the Site Health Info tab.
WordPress Version up to date
Along with plugins and themes, you should always ensure WordPress Core is updated. Update WordPress via the dashboard or WP-CLI.
SQL Server
WordPress recommends having the latest stable version of MySQL or MariaDB. Check your server type and version in cPanel.
Want more? VPS / Dedicated users can install MariaDB in WHM.
UTF8MB4
The UTF8MB4 database storage attribute depends on your database version and ensures your website can store non-English text. Check your database character sets in cPanel phpMyAdmin within the Charsets tab.
Want more? Optimize your WordPress database in phpMyAdmin for a faster website.
Scheduled Events
This test ensures wp-cron.php can check for core, plugin, and theme updates regularly.
Want more? Some WordPress websites may benefit from disabling wp-cron.php.
HTTP requests
This test ensures WordPress is able to communicate with other sites and services as this can negatively affect plugin or theme functionality.
Want more? VPS/Dedicated users can use ConfigServer Security & Firewall (CSF) to easily close unneeded open ports for better security.
REST API
The REST API communicates with your server for common functions such as the Gutenberg block-based editor.
Want more? Install the Heartbeat Control plugin to reduce AJAX requests and improve performance.
Loopback requests
This test along with the Scheduled Events ensures themes and plugins can verify code.
Want more? When you manually install a WordPress plugin or theme, verify file checksums with SSH or VirusTotal.com to ensure it’s not corrupt or malicious.
Learn more from our WordPress Education Center.
This article is not particularly helpful, as it DOES NOT address how to resolve errors in these areas. For example, on my WordPress site, I have three errors shown in my Site Health Report:
1. An active PHP session was detected – there is not an explanation as to how to correct this error
2. The REST API encountered an error ~ Again, no explanation as to how to correct this error
3. Your site could not complete a loopback request ~ Nada, no explanation as to how to correct this error.
I am not an expert on WordPress, PHP, or much of anything else. But even as a NOT expert, I can recognize an article that fails to address issues.
Hello Alan! Apologies for not having those errors listed. New ones will show up, and we don’t always find out about them until later on. I checked in with one of our WordPress experts and was advised to mention the following.
Issue 1. It looks like this was caused by a fairly recent WordPress update coming into conflict with a plugin that had not yet been updated. Here is a wordpress.org thread of people discussing the issue.
Issues 2 and 3. These two seem to be related, and based on a similar discussion thread, are directly tied to WooCommerce.
I’d suggest you start with WooCommerce. If you have WooCommerce installed on your site, check in with WooCommerce directly and see if they have any news or guidelines on these issues. They may already have an update in the works to fix the issue.
If there is no word form WooCommerce, or you do not use WooCommerce and the issue is a different plugin, here is how I’d suggest troubleshooting the issue.
After making backups, and preferably on a staging site first, deactivate plugins one at a time until you find out which one causes the error, then focus on updating that plugin (or . If you have WooCommerce, I’d start there. Updating WooCommerce, or updating WordPress and all plugins may help too, if the issue has been solved since then.