Like many local business owners in Scottsdale, Arizona, I can’t afford to have our company website down for any length of time. And part of what ensures our WordPress website stays up and running is to regularly update it to the latest version.
What Does Update it to the Latest Version Mean?
WordPress is website software and like any app or program, it receives updates on an ongoing basis, to fix bugs and/or security issues. If you are running a WordPress website and you don’t update it to the latest version of its software, you could risk getting it infected by a hacker, or it could become incompatible with your theme, plugins or hosting provider. And this can lead to your website not functioning correctly or going offline.
5 Benefits from Updating WordPress
Because WordPress is so popular, it is a frequent target of hackers. Thus, keeping your WordPress website updated to the latest version offers many benefits. Here are five of them.
1. Protects Your Website Against Cyber Attacks
The number one reason to update WordPress is security. Since WordPress is open-source software, this means its code is available to the public. As such, when WordPress developers find a security flaw and release a new update to fix it, this also means that hackers can look at the update to see exactly what the old flaw was. They then build automated programs to scan the web for WordPress websites that have not yet been updated. If you are running old WordPress software, your website can become susceptible to attack. Thus, updating WordPress can help to safeguard your website’s security.
2. Boosts Website Speed and Performance
No one likes a slow website. If a web page takes more than a few seconds to open, visitors will click away and look for a competitor. Major WordPress updates usually include massive code cleanups to make it leaner and more efficient. These improvements can enable your web pages to load much faster.
A faster website can also impact how easily people can find you. Search engines like Google may rank fast websites higher than slow ones. Thus, WordPress updates can provide website performance improvements that can keep your visitors happy, stay on your website longer, and help maintain your search engine visibility without spending extra money on marketing.
3. Addresses Plugin and Theme Problems
A standard WordPress website relies heavily on third-party tools called plugins and themes. Plugins add features like contact forms or online stores, while themes control how your website looks. The developers who make these tools constantly update their own code to match the latest WordPress standards. If you update your plugins but keep your WordPress software outdated, the plugins and themes may eventually stop working with each other correctly.
4. Adds Powerful New Design Tools
WordPress has evolved from a basic blogging platform into a world-class website builder. Every major update introduces modern workflows that make managing content much easier. Recent updates have focused heavily on visual editing, allowing you to build beautiful layouts without touching a single line of code. These new features can give you more creative control over your website.
5. Stays Compatible With Modern Servers
Websites do not work in a vacuum; they run on servers managed by your hosting company. These servers rely on an underlying programming language called PHP that should be updated as newer versions are released. Just like WordPress, PHP gets regular security and speed updates. Modern versions of WordPress require modern versions of PHP to function. If you try to run an old WordPress website on a modern server, the software may clash and crash your website.
Thus, staying up to date with your WordPress software can ensure that your website speaks the exact same technical language as your hosting company server, which can prevent unexpected downtime.
Backup Your Website Before You Update WordPress
While updating is essential, doing it blindly can cause headaches. Before you ever hit the update button, always create a full backup of your WordPress website database and files. Think of a backup as an insurance policy. If something goes wrong with the new update and it causes your website to malfunction, you can instantly restore your website to exactly how it was before. Once your backup is secure, run your updates safely, check your key pages, and enjoy a faster, more secure website.
EMAIL US