PHP
PHP is a server-side programming language that powers WordPress, Drupal, and many custom web applications. It's the most common backend language on the web, running on over 75% of …
What is PHP?
PHP is a server-side programming language that powers WordPress, Drupal, and many custom web applications. It's the most common backend language on the web, running on over 75% of websites.
Common Use Cases for Law Firms
- Powers most WordPress-based law firm websites behind the scenes
- Enables dynamic content generation for practice area pages
- Runs server-side form processing and database interactions
How We Detect It
Market Overview
Among personal injury law firms, PHP has been adopted by 22,110 firms (62.7% adoption rate) as a programming language solution. Adopters score 38.4 SI on average, +25.8 points higher than firms without it, suggesting PHP correlates with broader technology investment. The heaviest adoption comes from the Basic Tech Adopters segment (81.3%), followed by Conversion-Focused Firms (83.6%). The most common co-occurring tools are WordPress (found on 86.5% of PHP adopters) and Google Analytics (60.9%).
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Adoption by State
ME
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VT
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NH
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WA
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MT
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ND
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MN
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WI
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MI
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NY
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MA
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RI
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OR
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ID
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WY
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SD
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IA
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IL
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IN
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OH
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PA
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NJ
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CT
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CA
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NV
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CO
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NE
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MO
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KY
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WV
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VA
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MD
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DE
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DC
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AZ
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UT
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KS
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AR
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TN
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NC
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SC
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NM
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OK
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LA
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MS
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AL
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GA
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AK
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HI
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TX
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FL
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0
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Adoption by Segment
which segments use PHP most
Commonly Paired With
co-occurrence
PHP Best Practices
1
Keep PHP updated — running PHP 7.x on a WordPress site in 2025 is like leaving your front door unlocked. WordPress officially dropped PHP 7.4 support in December 2022, and PHP 8.0 reaches end-of-life in November 2023. Yet a staggering percentage of PI firm websites still run on outdated PHP versions because managed hosting providers don't auto-upgrade. Call your host and ask what PHP version is running. If it's below 8.1, upgrade immediately. Outdated PHP is the #1 attack vector for WordPress site compromises, and a hacked law firm website — serving malware to potential clients searching for help after an accident — is a catastrophic trust event.
2
Never edit PHP files directly on a production server — use version control and a staging environment. The single most common way PI firm websites get accidentally broken is a developer making a "quick fix" to functions.php or a plugin file directly on the live site. One syntax error in PHP will take the entire site offline with a white screen of death. Use a staging environment (WP Engine, Kinsta, and Flywheel all provide free staging copies), test there, and push changes through a deployment process. The 15 minutes this adds to any update is worth it every single time.
3
Disable PHP file execution inside the WordPress uploads directory. The uploads folder is where your images and documents live — and it's also the most common entry point for malware. Attackers upload a malicious PHP file disguised as an image, then execute it. Add a .htaccess rule to your /wp-content/uploads/ directory that blocks PHP execution:
deny from all for .php files. Your web developer can add this in 5 minutes, and it closes the most exploited WordPress security hole.
4
Use PHP's error logging in development, not production — live error display leaks your tech stack to attackers. A PHP error displayed on a PI firm's website reveals the server path, software versions, and code structure. Set
display_errors = Off in your PHP configuration (or in wp-config.php for WordPress) and route errors to a log file instead. Attackers actively look for PHP error messages in Google results — "site:yourfirm.com warning" often surfaces debug output that should never be public.
5
Audit your WordPress plugins annually and remove anything unused. Each active PHP plugin is a potential attack surface. A PI firm running 40+ plugins — which is common after years of website tweaks — likely has 15+ that are either unused or haven't been updated in two years. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins and sort by Last Updated. Delete anything not updated in 18+ months that isn't critical infrastructure. Dead plugins with known vulnerabilities get exploited even when deactivated.
Alternatives to PHP
1
Node.js — The alternative for custom-built, non-WordPress PI firm sites. Node runs JavaScript server-side, enabling real-time features (instant case status updates, live chat backends) that PHP handles poorly. Significantly faster for concurrent connections, which matters when a billboard campaign drives a traffic spike. The trade-off: no WordPress ecosystem, so every feature your agency needs to build is custom. Appropriate only for firms with an in-house developer or a retained agency doing full-stack development.
2
Python (Django/FastAPI) — Found at firms with serious data operations: intake automation, document processing, AI-driven case evaluation tools. Python is not a WordPress replacement; it's what you reach for when you need to process thousands of documents, run ML models on case data, or build APIs that your intake system talks to. Three or four of the most sophisticated multi-state PI operations nationally run Python backends behind their public-facing WordPress site.
3
Managed WordPress (WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel) — Not an alternative to PHP, but an alternative to managing PHP yourself. These platforms handle PHP version management, security patching, caching, and CDN configuration so your firm doesn't have to. For the vast majority of PI firms, the right answer is not "use a different language" but "stop running PHP yourself and hand it to a platform built around it." WP Engine starts at $25/month and makes PHP invisible.
4
Webflow / Squarespace (no PHP) — Website builders that abstract the entire infrastructure layer away. No PHP, no server management, no plugin updates, no security patches. The firm's website becomes a hosted SaaS product. The obvious limitation is reduced customizability for complex intake workflows and portal features. Right for solo practitioners and small firms where the website is primarily a brochure and lead-capture surface, not a software platform.
PHP Power Moves
1
Use a free tool like WPScan to audit your PHP-powered WordPress site from the attacker's perspective. WPScan (wpscantrbugrap.io) is the same tool used by security researchers and malicious actors to probe WordPress sites. Run it against your own domain and it will enumerate your PHP version, WordPress version, installed plugins and themes, and any known vulnerabilities in each. This takes 5 minutes and produces a prioritized fix list. Doing this before your agency does it prevents the uncomfortable conversation where they discover your site has had a critical vulnerability for 8 months.
2
Set up Wordfence or Sucuri's free firewall and you'll stop most automated PHP exploit attempts before they run. The PHP exploits that hit law firm websites are almost entirely automated — bots scanning millions of sites for known vulnerable plugin versions. A web application firewall (WAF) at the PHP level blocks these requests before they reach your application. Wordfence has a free tier that blocks the most common exploit signatures. Enable it on any WordPress site and review the blocked request log monthly — you'll be shocked how much automated traffic your site deflects.
3
Enable PHP OPcache and cut your WordPress page generation time in half without changing a single line of code. OPcache is a PHP extension that compiles your PHP scripts once and stores the compiled version in memory, instead of re-parsing and re-compiling on every page request. On most shared hosting, it's disabled by default. Ask your host to enable it. On a typical PI firm WordPress site, enabling OPcache reduces server response time from 400-600ms to 80-150ms — a bigger performance gain than most site redesigns deliver.
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Top Firms Using PHP
by sophistication index
| # | Firm | Segment | Attorneys | SI Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Retention Innovators | 12 | 95.896 | A+ |
| 2 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 1 | 95.896 | A+ |
| 3 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 1 | 95.095 | A+ |
| 4 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 95 | 95.095 | A+ |
| 5 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 41 | 95.095 | A+ |
| 6 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 45 | 95.095 | A+ |
| 7 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 356 | 95.095 | A+ |
| 8 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 31 | 94.895 | A+ |
| 9 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 1 | 94.895 | A+ |
| 10 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 43 | 94.895 | A+ |
| 11 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 13 | 94.895 | A+ |
| 12 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 119 | 94.695 | A+ |
| 13 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 132 | 94.695 | A+ |
| 14 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 3 | 94.695 | A+ |
| 15 |
|
Retention Innovators | 13 | 94.094 | A+ |
| 16 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 13 | 94.094 | A+ |
| 17 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 1 | 94.094 | A+ |
| 18 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 1 | 94.094 | A+ |
| 19 |
|
Retention Innovators | 23 | 94.094 | A+ |
| 20 |
|
Conversion-Focused Firms | 6 | 94.094 | A+ |
