Getting Started with the WordPress Site Health Screen and Status Checks

Learn how to find, read, and act on the WordPress Site Health screen so you can keep your new site fast, secure, and stable from day one.

Why the Site Health Screen Matters for New Site Owners

WordPress includes a built-in Site Health tool that scans your site for common performance, security, and configuration problems. You’ll find it directly in your dashboard, so you don’t need extra plugins to get a basic health report.

The Site Health screen runs automated checks and groups the results into critical issues, recommended improvements, and passed tests. It’s one of the simplest ways to spot problems early, before they turn into downtime or security incidents.Source

How to Open the Site Health Screen

To access Site Health in a current WordPress install:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. In the left-hand menu, go to Tools ? Site Health.

What You Should See

On the Site Health screen you’ll see:

• A colored status circle at the top (Good, Recommended improvements, or Critical issues).
• A Status tab listing issues and tests.
• An Info tab with detailed technical information about your WordPress setup, server, themes, and plugins.Source

Understanding the Status Tab

The Status tab is where you’ll spend most of your time as a site owner. It summarizes what’s working well and what needs attention.

1. Overall Site Health Status

At the top, WordPress shows an overall health label such as:

• Good – No major problems detected.
• Should be improved – Some recommended changes.
• Critical issues – Problems that may affect security, performance, or reliability.

This score is based on a series of automated tests that check configuration, updates, and communication with WordPress.org servers.Source

2. Critical Issues

Critical issues are the items to prioritize. Examples include:

• Background updates not working as expected.
• Outdated PHP version on the server.
• Site unable to communicate with WordPress.org for updates.
• Debug information visible to visitors.

Each item expands to show:

• What WordPress found.
• Why it matters (security, performance, or stability).
• Suggested next steps or a link to more information.Source

3. Recommended Improvements

Recommended improvements are not emergencies, but they’re worth addressing. They might include:

• Enabling HTTPS if your site still uses HTTP.
• Removing inactive themes or plugins you no longer need.
• Enabling automatic updates for themes or plugins.

Fixing these items usually improves long-term security and performance.

4. Passed Tests

The Passed tests section lists everything that looks good. This is a quick way to confirm that key areas like REST API access, scheduled events, and file permissions are working correctly.Source

Using the Info Tab for a Quick Site Snapshot

The Info tab doesn’t change settings; it simply shows detailed information about your site. This is especially useful when you’re talking with your host or a developer.

Sections commonly include:

• WordPress – Version, language, timezone, home URL, site URL, permalink structure, and whether the site uses HTTPS.
• Directories and sizes – Sizes of your WordPress core, uploads, themes, plugins, and database.
• Active theme – Theme name, version, author, and whether auto-updates are enabled.
• Active plugins – List of active plugins with versions and auto-update status.

You can also copy all Info data to your clipboard with one click and paste it into a support ticket or email.Source

Simple First-Time Site Health Check (Step-by-Step)

Here’s a practical first run-through you can do on a new site.

1. Open Site Health
   Go to Dashboard ? Tools ? Site Health.
2. Wait for the scan
   WordPress will run its checks automatically. Give it a few seconds to finish.
3. Review the overall status
   Note whether the status is Good, Recommended improvements, or Critical issues.
4. Expand each critical issue
   Click each item under Critical issues and read the explanation and suggested fix.
5. Address what you can
   For example, if you see “You have plugins waiting to be updated,” go to Dashboard ? Updates and run those updates.
6. Capture technical info if needed
   Switch to the Info tab, click Copy site info to clipboard, and save it in a document or send it to your support team.
7. Re-check after changes
   Return to Tools ? Site Health and confirm that the issues you addressed are now resolved.

How Often Should You Check Site Health?

For most small business or campaign sites, a simple routine works well:

• After launch – Run Site Health once everything is live.
• After major changes – Check again after installing new plugins, switching themes, or making hosting changes.
• Monthly – Do a quick monthly review to catch new warnings or configuration issues.Source

How Site Health Relates to Roles and Permissions

Only users with the right capabilities can see and act on Site Health results. In a standard WordPress setup, Administrators (and Super Admins on multisite) have full access to these tools, because they hold capabilities like managing options and installing updates.Source

As a site owner, you should:

• Keep Site Health access limited to trusted admin-level users.
• Avoid giving full admin access to casual content editors.
• Use lower roles (Editor, Author, Contributor) for day-to-day content work.

When Plugins Extend Site Health

Many security, performance, and monitoring plugins add their own tests or even entire tabs to the Site Health interface. WordPress provides APIs that allow developers to register custom Site Health checks and navigation tabs, so you may see extra sections beyond the default Status and Info tabs.Source

As a site owner, that means:

• Your Site Health screen may show additional plugin-specific tests.
• Some issues will link directly to a plugin’s settings page for one-click fixes.
• You can still use the core Status and Info tabs as your baseline health report.

Practical Next Steps for New Site Owners

To build a simple, repeatable habit around Site Health:

• Add a monthly calendar reminder to open Tools ? Site Health.
• Keep a short checklist: review critical issues, recommended improvements, and plugin/theme updates.
• Save a copy of the Info tab output after major changes so you have a “before and after” record.
• Share key findings with your hosting provider or web partner if you’re unsure how to fix something.

Used regularly, the Site Health screen becomes your early-warning system—helping you keep your WordPress site fast, secure, and reliable with just a few minutes of attention each month.