WordPress is a free and open-source CMS (Content Management System) developed by a community of developers. As any other system needs improvement and development, from time to time, WordPress releases an update to maintain the new industry standards.
WPBeginner brings up the following crucial aspects that may be included in each update release, and how it is important to keep your WordPress website up to date.
Attention!!! Before you run a WordPress upgrade please note, it is imperative to make sure you have a backup of your current website as sometimes upgrade can break your website, in which case you can simply load back your old website and get back online in no time.
Security: As over more than 30% of all websites in the world are powered by WordPress, it is a common target for hackers and data thieves. However, as we have bad hackers there are good hackers as well. They work as security experts, studying the code and properly reporting security bugs so they could be fixed. So every time a security vulnerability is reported, the core WordPress team works on an update, fixing all the reported problems.
Cool New Features: With each new release, WordPress comes with new features and brings changes to the software. If you are using an old version, then obviously your website will lack new functionality compared to other updated ones.
Speed: Time is money and speed is a huge factor in the first impression. Every second is another big loss in conversions. That’s why WordPress developers always try to modify the load speed of the software from one release to another.
Bug Fixes: Sometimes, a major release is followed up with a minor release, which fixes bugs that occur despite accurate testing of the software.
Compatibility (or NOT): Plugin and theme developers usually pack up their updates with major WordPress releases. However, an update can create a problem with your existing plugins if developers are not following coding standards. In this case, regular WordPress backups can be handy.
Now it is more clear why you should keep your WordPress website up to date. Our team, here at KollMedia, wishes your website always be secure, fast, and up-to-date with new features.
DO’s and Don’ts
– Do a backup before the upgrade.
– Do upgrade after work hours so in case a website fails to load you have time to troubleshoot or bring back the old website version online.
– Don’t run upgrade in the middle of the day. You might end up with an angry client calling you for an explanation.
– Don’t assume your website is ok if you only checked the main page. Check all pages as some pages might have broken plugins.
KollMedia Team
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