How can you optimize the process of counting splits in PHP strings for better performance?

When counting splits in PHP strings, it is important to optimize the process for better performance by avoiding unnecessary operations and using efficient functions. One way to do this is by using the `substr_count()` function to directly count the occurrences of a specific substring within the string, instead of splitting the string into an array and then counting the elements. This approach reduces memory usage and processing time, leading to improved performance.

// Example code snippet for optimizing the process of counting splits in PHP strings
$string = "apple,banana,orange,grape";
$delimiter = ",";
$count = substr_count($string, $delimiter);
echo "Number of splits: " . $count;