When it comes to working with WordPress, there’s still work to do even after you launch your new website.
Currently used by more than a third of all websites in the world, WordPress is an open-source content management system, used to build websites. So, what does that mean?
Well, open-source refers to the general public being able to contribute to the development of WordPress in the form of themes and plugins. Themes are created as website templates for users to upload and implement on their own website with their content. Plugins are essentially extensions to your WordPress website that allow infinite possibilities.
As a result, these external themes and plugins created by developers are constantly being updated, improved and secured. These updates are pushed through your WordPress website dashboard, notifying you of new updates to your installed themes and plugins.
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Here’s why you MUST keep everything up to date
As explained above, all your theme and plugin updates are pushed to your dashboard. It’s best practice to check for updates at least once a week, to ensure you’re always keeping up.
So what happens if you get behind, or don’t update at all?
Well, going back to the open-source topic, because WordPress is so heavily dominant on the internet, there is always the risk of hackers. When you don’t update your themes and plugins, you are leaving your site open and vulnerable for cyberattacks. When you keep everything updated, though, you are keeping your site safe from these vulnerabilities.
But that’s not all…
In addition to security reasons, when you have outdated plugins and themes (say you haven’t updated anything in a year), you are creating a huge risk in your site not working properly.
Updates, as mentioned, are always implementing new features and improvements. So if you go to update your website after a whole year, and don’t progressively update over time, you’re jumping from a very old version to the brand new version. This, more often than not, creates problems.
You run into compatibility issues, or features that might not be available anymore, thus breaking something on your website.
Start taking care of your website now
It’s truly a serious topic if you’re running your website on WordPress, and I suggest you take it seriously.
Many business owners don’t have the time to dedicate updating their website, so reach out to AWD and we’d be glad to work with you on a maintenance plan that will keep your website up to date, and you worry-free!
