SureRank Server Requirements

SureRank runs on most standard WordPress hosting. This article lists what it needs, what it recommends, and how to check each item on your own server.

If a feature fails with a server error rather than a message from the plugin, this is the first page to check.

Minimum Requirements

• WordPress – 6.7 or later.
• PHP – 7.4 or later. PHP 8.1 or later is recommended.
• DOM and XML support in PHP – Used to read your page content for SEO checks and to build your XML sitemap. These are enabled by default on virtually all hosting.

How to Check Your Server

1. Go to Tools → Site Health → Info in your WordPress admin.
2. Open the Server section.
3. Confirm the PHP version is 7.4 or later.

If your PHP version is older than 7.4, ask your host to move the site to a supported version. Most hosting control panels let you change this yourself.

Recommended Settings

These are not strict requirements, but low limits cause slow or incomplete results on larger sites.

• PHP memory limit – 256M or higher.
• Max execution time – 60 seconds or higher, which helps sitemap and bulk operations finish.
• WP-Cron enabled, or a real server cron running wp-cron.php. Email summaries rely on it, as does the optional pre-build sitemap mode.

How Sitemaps Are Built

By default SureRank builds each sitemap when it is requested, so no scheduled task is needed to keep it up to date.

A pre-build mode is available for very large sites, where a scheduled task builds the whole sitemap ahead of time. That mode depends on WP-Cron. If the loopback request it uses is blocked, SureRank falls back to building within the same request instead, so the sitemap still rebuilds.

Checking Your PHP Extensions

1. Go to Tools → Site Health → Info.
2. Open the PHP Extensions section.

Most hosts will enable a standard extension on request or through your hosting control panel.

Troubleshooting

• Checks never finish, or the spinner keeps running – Check Tools → Site Health → Status for a loopback warning, and review any security plugin or firewall that may be blocking internal requests.
• Sitemap builds stall on a large site – Raise the PHP memory limit and max execution time, then rebuild.
• A feature works in the admin but not on the front end – Clear any page cache and CDN cache, then retest.
• An error mentions an undefined function – Update SureRank to the latest version first, then check the PHP Extensions list if it continues.
• Email summaries never arrive – Confirm WP-Cron is running. Some hosts disable it in favour of a server cron.

Next Steps

If your server meets these requirements and something still fails, see Fixing a Fatal Error After Updating SureRank.