Yoast SEO 20.5 Drops Support for PHP 5.6, 7.0, and 7.1 – WP Tavern

Yoast SEO 20.5 was launched this week with a number of safety fixes and an improved Google SERP preview. The preview exhibits cell and desktop snippets with Google’s present styling so customers can see precisely how their snippets will look and tweak how they optimize them for Google Search outcomes.

One other spotlight of this launch is that Yoast search engine marketing has dropped compatibility with PHP 5.6, 7.0 and seven.1. The plugin now requires PHP 7.2.5 or larger (together with WP 6.0). Whereas this may occasionally appear excessive at first look, roughly 89.9% of WordPress websites are operating on PHP 7.2+. WordPress doesn’t cross-reference these stats with WP model numbers, nevertheless it’s potential websites operating on a lot older variations of WordPress are additionally on unsupported variations of PHP.

Getting WordPress websites to replace to the most recent variations of PHP is a slow-moving course of, however traditionally Yoast search engine marketing has been a power for change in pushing customers to improve their PHP variations. In model 4.5, launched in 2017, Yoast SEO threw the weight of its estimated 6.5 million user base behind the movement to push hosts to upgrade their customers to PHP 7. That model of the plugin launched a big, non-dismissible discover urging website directors to improve to PHP 7.

“To maneuver the online ahead, we have to take a stand in opposition to outdated, sluggish, and unsafe software program,” Yoast founder Joost de Valk stated at the moment. “As a result of internet hosts will not be upgrading PHP, we now have determined to begin pushing this from inside plugins.” He contended that the WordPress ecosystem was dropping good builders as a result of the challenge was shifting too slowly and likewise made the case for safety and velocity.

Though the most recent model 20.5 can be incompatible with roughly 10% of WordPress websites operating unsupported variations of PHP, this transfer ahead is important for sustaining a wholesome and safe ecosystem.