Why It’s Crucial To Keep WordPress Sites Up To Date

So keep reading as we explain why it’s crucial to keep your site up to date from security vulnerabilities to compatibility issues, and how to update safely. 

Security vulnerabilities 

Performing regular updates on both your site and its plugins can help to reduce the risk of malicious attacks and other vulnerabilities. 

WordPress is a highly popular platform which leaves it a common target for hackers and data thieves. Whenever a vulnerability is identified, updates will be released to patch them – if you don’t update you’re essentially operating a version where security issues are known. 

This doesn’t just apply to your version of WordPress either, all the plugins you use need updating as each one can pose its security vulnerabilities too. 

Related risks

Whilst updating can help to protect you from exploitation, some other risk factors should be taken into consideration. Say for example your SEO plugin becomes compromised and disabled – you may lose functionality which helps you to rank on Google.

We’ve also seen instances where Google Ad accounts get disabled or penalised due to compromised sites which can have a devastating effect on those that rely on it as a key channel. 

Performance & speed 

WordPress updates don’t just cover security; many of them are to improve your site’s performance and speed. WordPress is always seeking to improve performance, from code refinements to making menus faster (which is important as speed is a ranking factor when it comes to your position in search engines). 

Keeping up with these updates means not only will you benefit from improved site performance, but overall site usability will be improved for your visitors and customers. 

Compatibility 

Updating your site means you have the best chance of remaining compatible with other features and plugins, as plugin updates are often planned to coordinate with WordPress updates themselves to avoid any conflict. 

Sometimes, updating either your version of WordPress or plugins can break certain features, which is why it’s critical to back up first and test updates on staging sites. 

Patches & bug fixes 

Aside from performance boosts and security patches, WordPress updates often also serve to resolve bugs found in previous versions. If you’re experiencing issues, it’s common that technical advisors will suggest first updating your version of WordPress.

Considerations before updating 

While updating your WordPress site is important, it’s also important to take precautions before doing so. Unfortunately, things can go wrong during an update. New versions of WordPress may break plugins, which can have a knock-on effect on site functionality.

It’s therefore crucial to back up before an update so that you can roll back to a previous version if you need to. 

Changes are best performed on a staging site so that your live site experiences minimal downtime during an update, and to ensure you can safely test the update in case it has affected a plugin. 

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From navigating plugin updates to handling any challenges or conflicts during an update, Affinity can help take the hassle out of site maintenance. Get in touch with us today for further guidance.