Hello friends, I hope you all are well.
Some of you had come to us with questions about when and how often we should update plugins and themes in WordPress and how important it is.
Table of Contents
So before telling this, I want to make it clear to you that WordPress is a collection of plugins and themes. Plugins and themes play a very important role in WordPress. WordPress is nothing without them. Many people believe that if we do not update the theme, plugins or WordPress itself then it does not matter but it is not so, we should update the theme, plugins and WordPres on a regular basis.
Now let’s talk about why we should keep updating the themes and plugins in WordPress regularly. As you know, updates are coming in WordPress every day, whenever a new version is released it is important that we have the latest version of those plugins and themes so that we can get all the new features and avoid any kind of security hacks or malware. If we ignore the updates of any plugin, theme or WordPress then this can be harmful for our site. A lot of plugins are also removed from the WordPress directory because they have security issues, so it is important that we keep checking our site and do the wp updates regularly.
So as we have learned how important it is to update WordPress. Now let’s know which things should be kept in mind before making updates in WordPress.
Things to keep in mind before making updates
We should do the following things before making any kind of update in WordPress:
Create a full backup
First of all, you should create a full backup of your site including database. So, if after the updates any kind of problem appears on your site, you can immediately restore your site to its old state through backup.
Don’t make any update on LIVE site directly
We should always try not to make any updates directly on the live site. First of all, we should do these updates on a staging/development site and after making updates, review the site thoroughly. So that if any issue comes then we can fix it on that staging/development site and if everything is good then we should make updates on the live site.
Security Checks
While updating any plugin, check it carefully. If any security related problem is seen then replace it with its alternative plugin.
Use “Automatic Updates” feature
There is a new feature in WordPress called “Automatic Updates” updates which automatically updates the plugins on your site so that you do not need to manually update any plugin. Doing this can be harmful as it removes any changes or customizatino we made at the plugin level. Use this feature only when you are sure that using this feature will not have any effect on your site. You can use this feature if you have a small number of plugins used on your site.
Final Thought
In summary, regularly updating WordPress, plugins, and themes is essential for maintaining the security, performance, and functionality of your website. It helps protect your site from potential security threats, ensures compatibility with the latest web standards, and provides a better experience for both users and administrators.
Pro Tip: Before updating any plugin, you should check the updates made by the plugin's author, if any major update has not come then you can update directly on the LIVE site. Otherwise W3Mind will advise you to make updates to the staging/development site first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Outdated plugins may have security vulnerabilities, leading to potential exploitation by hackers. Regular updates help patch these vulnerabilities, protecting your site from security threats.
Yes, using outdated themes may result in compatibility issues, slow performance, and even website crashes. You should keep your theme up-to-date.
Regular updates are crucial for maintaining the health and functionality of your website. Your website can be compromised if you ignore any WordPress updates.
You should always keep your site updated. However, You can check and update your site once in a week.
