What does WordPress Site Health tell me?
Site Health, under Tools, is WordPress's built-in check-up. The Status tab sorts findings into critical issues, recommended improvements and passed tests; the Info tab lists technical details like your PHP version. Act on critical issues soon, pass recommended ones to whoever maintains the site, and check it monthly.
The short version
- Go to Tools, then Site Health. You need to be an Administrator.
- Status shows critical issues, recommended improvements and passed tests.
- Info lists technical details. Copy it when someone helping you asks for it.
- Critical issues need attention soon. Recommended improvements are worth passing on.
- It’s a check-up, not a security scan or an uptime monitor.
How do I open it?
- Log in as an Administrator.
- Go to Tools, then Site Health.
- Wait a few seconds while the tests run.
WordPress’s Site Health guide describes the two tabs. Some plugins add their own tests, so your list may differ from someone else’s.
What do the results mean?
Each finding opens to explain what WordPress found and why it matters.
| Group | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Critical issues | Something that could affect security or stop the site working | Send it to whoever maintains the site this week |
| Recommended improvements | Worth fixing, not urgent | Add to the next maintenance visit |
| Passed tests | Fine | Nothing |
Which findings matter most for a small business?
These are the ones worth acting on when you see them:
- Outdated PHP version. WordPress recommends 8.3 or newer on its requirements page. See which PHP version your site should run.
- WordPress, plugin or theme updates waiting. See how WordPress releases work.
- Inactive plugins or themes. Code you don’t use still needs updating or deleting. See how many plugins is too many.
- Background updates not working. Minor security releases may not be installing on their own.
- Scheduled events running late. WordPress uses these for scheduled posts and some plugin tasks, so a late one can mean posts that don’t appear on time.
- Site not using HTTPS. See why a site says “Not Secure”.
- Search engines discouraged. If this shows on a live site, it’s urgent. See what not to touch.
Which can I ignore?
Some recommendations depend on your host’s setup, like a missing optional PHP module or a suggestion to use a persistent object cache. Others are pushed by plugins. These aren’t wrong, but they aren’t emergencies. Note them and ask whoever maintains the site whether they apply.
What’s in the Info tab?
The Info tab lists your WordPress version, active theme, plugins, server, PHP version, database and file sizes. There’s a button to copy all of it to the clipboard. When someone helping you asks for “site info,” this is what they mean.
Before you paste it anywhere public, like a support forum, check it. It lists file paths and server details. Sending it privately to your web company is fine.
How does this relate to recovery mode?
Since WordPress 5.2, when a plugin or theme crashes the site, WordPress pauses it and emails a recovery link, per the recovery mode announcement. That email goes to the Administration Email Address under Settings, then General, described in the General settings guide. Make sure that’s an inbox someone reads. See what a critical error means.
What are the common mistakes and edge cases?
- Expecting a security scan. Site Health checks settings, not malware. Our article on WordPress security covers what does.
- Expecting uptime alerts. It only runs when you open it. See setting up uptime monitoring.
- Fixing things in Settings to clear a warning. Some fixes belong on the server. Ask first.
- No Site Health menu. You aren’t an Administrator, or a plugin has hidden it.
What if this didn’t work?
If tests won’t finish, or the screen shows errors, take a screenshot and send it with the copied Info text to whoever maintains the site.
How long does it take?
A monthly look takes five minutes. Our website care checklist shows where it fits with the other monthly checks.
How does E-3 handle this?
For hosted sites we look after through website care, monitoring tracks PHP version, waiting updates, known plugin vulnerabilities, disk and database space, and domain and plugin-license renewals. That covers the findings Site Health raises most often, without anyone needing to open the screen.
Related questions
Next step
- Next: Is my site on an old PHP or WordPress version?The next guide in WordPress for owners.
- Website careUptime monitoring, tested updates, daily backups and security alerts.
Still stuck? Ask E-3 for an answer from our help guides.
Rather we handled wordpress for owners for you?
It’s part of what we do every week for small businesses, as part of website care. Start with a free check of your site and profile, or call and ask.