Learn how to open, read, and act on the WordPress Site Health screen so you can keep your new website fast, secure, and stable from day one.
Why the Site Health Screen Matters for New Site Owners
When you first log into WordPress, it’s easy to focus only on pages, posts, and design. But one of the most important areas for long-term stability is hidden under a quieter menu: Tools ? Site Health. This screen gives you a simple, color-coded report on how healthy, secure, and up to date your site is, based on built-in WordPress checks and signals from your themes and plugins.Source
This guide walks you through how to open Site Health, understand what you’re seeing, and take safe first steps to fix common issues—without needing to be a developer.
How to Open the Site Health Screen
Step-by-step navigation
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard (usually at
/wp-admin). - In the left-hand menu, hover over Tools.
- Click Site Health.
WordPress will immediately start running a series of automated checks on your configuration, performance, and security. This may take a few seconds the first time you open it.Source
What you should see
- A large status area at the top with a message like “Good” or “Should be improved,” often with a colored circle or bar.
- Two main tabs near the top of the screen: Status and Info.Source
- A list of tests grouped into sections such as performance, security, and recommended improvements.
Understanding the Status Tab
The Status tab is where you’ll spend most of your time as a non-technical site owner. It summarizes what’s working well and what needs attention.
Key parts of the Status tab
- Overall health label: A short summary like “Good” or “Should be improved.” This is a quick health snapshot, not a grade you must perfect.
- Critical issues: Problems that can affect security, stability, or major functionality. These should be addressed as soon as practical.
- Recommended improvements: Non-urgent suggestions that can improve performance, security, or best practices.
- Passed tests: Checks that your site already passes. These confirm what’s working correctly.Source
How to read individual tests
Each test expands to show:
- A short description of what’s being checked (for example, “Your site is using a secure connection”).
- Why it matters (security, performance, compatibility, etc.).
- Specific guidance or a link to where you can fix the issue (often another screen in your dashboard).
As a new owner, you don’t need to understand every technical term. Focus on the plain-language explanation and the suggested action.
Understanding the Info Tab
The Info tab is a detailed technical snapshot of your site’s configuration. It doesn’t let you change settings; it simply lists them in one place.Source
What you’ll find in Info
- WordPress: Version, site language, and more.
- Directories and sizes: How much space your uploads, themes, and plugins are using.
- Active theme and plugins: Names and versions.
- Server and database: PHP version, database type, and related details.
There’s also a Copy site info to clipboard button. This is especially useful when working with Compass Production support or your hosting provider—they can ask you to copy this info and paste it into a support ticket instead of hunting for each detail manually.
Common Site Health Messages You’ll See Early On
Right after launch, most new sites see a few common messages. Here’s how to interpret them and what to do.
1. “You should use a persistent object cache”
This is a performance recommendation, not a crisis. It usually appears on sites with more complex setups or higher traffic expectations. Implementing this often involves your host or a caching plugin. As a new owner, you can safely note this and discuss it with your developer or hosting support during a performance review.
2. “Your site does not use HTTPS”
If your site URL starts with http:// instead of https://, Site Health will flag this as a security issue. HTTPS encrypts traffic between your visitors and your site and is considered a basic requirement for modern websites.Source
Safe next step: Contact your hosting provider or Compass Production and ask to enable an SSL certificate and update your WordPress and site URLs to use HTTPS.
3. “Background updates are not working as expected”
WordPress can automatically apply some updates, especially for minor security releases. If Site Health reports a problem here, it may mean your host has disabled automatic updates or there’s a file-permission issue.
Safe next step: Make sure you have a backup strategy in place, then coordinate with your host or developer before changing update settings. The goal is to keep core, plugins, and themes reasonably up to date without breaking your site.Source
4. “You are using an outdated version of PHP”
PHP is the programming language that runs WordPress. Using a supported version is important for both security and performance.Source
Safe next step: Do not try to change PHP versions from inside WordPress. Instead, open a support ticket with your host and ask them to upgrade PHP to a recommended version compatible with your site. Ideally, test this on a staging site first.
How Site Health Relates to Security and Roles
Only users with appropriate capabilities (typically Administrators) can access the Site Health screen. This is intentional: many of the checks and suggested actions affect the entire site, so they’re restricted to trusted users.Source
As a new site owner, you should:
- Keep Site Health access limited to Administrator-level accounts you control or explicitly trust.
- Avoid creating extra Administrator accounts unless there’s a clear, ongoing need.
- Use lower roles (like Editor) for team members who only need content access.
A Simple Routine for Using Site Health
To keep things manageable, treat Site Health as a regular check-in rather than a one-time chore.
Monthly quick check (10–15 minutes)
- Log in and go to Tools ? Site Health.
- Review the overall status message.
- Expand any Critical issues and note what they are.
- Address anything clearly safe to change (for example, enabling HTTPS after your host installs SSL).
- Capture a screenshot or copy the Info tab details if you need to ask for help.
Before major changes or updates
Before you install new plugins, switch themes, or run large updates, quickly review Site Health:
- Confirm there are no unresolved critical issues that might make changes riskier.
- Check that your WordPress, theme, and key plugins are on reasonably current versions.
- Verify that your PHP version is supported and that your host isn’t already flagging problems.
When to Ask for Help
You don’t need to fix every Site Health item yourself. Use it as a shared reference when working with Compass Production, your hosting provider, or another technical partner.
Good times to involve support
- When you see critical issues you don’t understand or that mention the server, database, or PHP.
- When recommended improvements involve caching layers, object caching, or advanced performance tuning.
- When Site Health suddenly drops from “Good” to “Should be improved” after a plugin or theme change.
In those cases, open the Info tab, copy your site info, and include it in your support request. This saves time and reduces guesswork for everyone involved.
Making Site Health Part of Your Normal Workflow
The Site Health screen is not just a technical dashboard; it’s a simple, built-in way to keep your site aligned with WordPress best practices over time. A healthy site is more secure, more stable, and usually faster for your visitors.Source
If you build the habit of checking it monthly—and especially before big changes—you’ll catch many issues early, long before they turn into outages or security incidents. Over time, those small, consistent check-ins are what keep your new WordPress site feeling reliable and professional for the people who depend on it.
