Keeping WordPress Up To Date
Many people who build their sites using WordPress believe there is no need to keep the installation up to date as long as the site is functional, clean, and inviting in design. While the site's visual appeal and smooth operation are critical, these elements are only part of the equation. An indispensable part in maintaining a WordPress site is keeping all the pieces updated. WordPress is a constantly evolving software, as each new update brings new features and improvements. Keeping WordPress updated can become especially important for users that don't have great data backups or have constantly changing content as an outdated WordPress install can cause a tremendous amount of havoc to a website.
Reasons to Update WordPress
WordPress is one of the most used CMS in the world, with over 25% of internet web pages. This means that WordPress has a large community and needs updates every few months. WordPress developers make constant improvements in the code of the plugins/templates and WordPress Core to ensure the security of the platform.
Importance Regular Updates
1. Improve The Security Of The Website
Safety is the first reason why you should update WordPress since, from time to time, security holes come to light. These loopholes can be used hackers who are dedicated to attacking websites looking for vulnerabilities that are present in outdated versions. Since the WordPress community is quite large, new versions of the platform are released as soon as security loopholes are found.
Naturally, the new versions eliminate those vulnerabilities. Many of the updates are due to security patches that prevent WordPress-based websites from being safe from such evil intentions. Users who keep their installations up to date will often times not have to worry about website hacking if they simply keep their installations up to date.
2. New and Improved Features
With each new version of WordPress released, new features are added. These features can enhance and enrich the content management experience. They also make site navigation and use more enjoyable for customers. Failure to upgrade to the latest installation of WordPress will make it impossible to use these new features.
3. Speeds Up The Site
A slow site will condemn your project. New software versions often times improve loading speed and how well the platforms handles bandwidth. If you want your website to improve or maintain its loading speed and position itself well in search engines, always keep WordPress and its elements updated for best practice.
4. Keeps Plugins Working
As plugins are developed, they are designed to work with the latest versions of WordPress. When a WordPress installation is outdated, these plugins may stop working as they will become incompatible with the new version. Keeping WordPress up to date will ensure that plugins work properly as designed by the developers and that all aspects of the site work optimally.
5. Correct Mistakes and Security Flaws
The developers are aware of the bugs that customers report to fix them in future updates. Having a large community, WordPress works to fix the bugs and releases small updates that correct such errors. We regularly encounter websites issues and errors that could have been avoided if the client had kept their WordPress installs updated.
WordPress Runs Best When Updated
Having your WordPress site updated is extremely important if you do not want to compromise your project. Upgrading to the latest version of WordPress takes only a small amount of time. For simple WordPress sites, all you need to do is click the Update link in the WordPress dashboard, and the entire installation will be updated. For more advanced sites, the process can be slightly more involved but is generally a quick and easy process.
