Importance of Safe WordPress Update Practices For Site Security
As the owner of a WordPress website, it is your duty to keep it updated and safe from hackers. Unfortunately, updates can sometimes cause unexpected errors or compatibility problems which will require your attention as soon as they happen.
Minor WordPress updates (denoted by an increase or decrease in version number) typically focus on bug fixes and security patches; they’re less likely to cause issues than major updates.
Backup your site regularly
As part of website security, backups are an absolute must. Should something go wrong during or after an update (and we all know they do!), having backups available means they can restore your site back to its pre-update state, helping prevent data and time losses that might otherwise have taken place without proper protection in place.
If you want to take a more proactive approach, setting up a plugin like BlogVault that automatically backs up both your site and database can help. Plus, this enables an auto-update feature that only applies updates that address known vulnerabilities, leaving all other core files untouched.
While keeping backups is essential, they’re not enough to fully protect your website against issues caused by updates. With too many variables at play, any website could suffer after an update has taken effect. Therefore, the best practice would be running updates first within a staging environment before rolling them out on live sites.
GoDaddy Website Security is an ideal managed WordPress host offering this service as part of their standard package, using Sucuri as their security provider to give your site maximum protection, speed and updates. GoDaddy Website Security can give any business that relies on its website for leads or sales peace of mind and security that they deserve.
Keep your WordPress version up-to-date
Many website administrators delay updating WordPress due to fears that an update could break their site, yet as more time passes without updates taking place, the more vulnerable your site is becoming to hackers and bugs. Luckily, however, WordPress developers are continuously fixing security breaches and improving features within the software to make updates more secure as well as take advantage of new features which make your website more effective and user-friendly.
Before running updates to your site, always back up both its database and site. This will allow you to restore it if an update goes awry; many plugins exist that make this task simple and fast.
When updating, the best approach is usually to install core files first and then plugins or themes, to reduce any chances of any plugins or themes breaking your site. Unfortunately, however, this may not always be feasible since all updates can introduce bugs.
Keep your WordPress version updated is one of the most vital steps you can take for your site. Most updates won’t present any problems; however, some could lead to serious repercussions if they go unaddressed.
Make the most out of WordPress updates by staying informed, monitoring them as soon as they become available and implementing them quickly – keeping your site up-to-date without major repercussions! Don’t forget to back up before running any updates; should any arise please don’t hesitate to reach out if there are any questions or issues; our staff would be more than happy to assist. For a more thorough guide to updating WordPress websites check out our eBook, “Using the Right Plugins to Optimize Your Site.”
Update themes and plugins regularly
Plugins and themes are an excellent way to extend the functionality of WordPress sites, yet can pose potential security threats if they’re not updated regularly. Without regular updates, bugs may form within these plugins which hackers exploit in order to gain entry to site content or databases – therefore making regular updating an absolute must.
Updating WordPress core, plugins, and themes is the single best way to prevent most hacking attempts. Experienced developers will often test updates in a staging environment before applying them live sites – this gives them time to address any potential issues before they affect actual visitors to real sites. Even if you aren’t an experienced developer yourself, updating plugins and themes regularly should still be part of your maintenance routine.
If an issue cannot be solved through updating, or after trying other measures to solve it, it’s often best to replace a theme or plugin altogether with another. Outdated plugins and themes may cause major disruptions on a site ranging from broken images to missing slideshows; moreover they will likely no longer be compatible with current versions of WordPress, leading to future issues and complications.
Automatic updates may seem tempting, but it’s essential to realize this can be dangerous without proper tools in place. This is particularly relevant with plugins offering advanced features like social media sharing or SEO optimizations.
Check compatibility before updating
WordPress updates may have unexpected side-effects that weren’t anticipated, particularly if the plugin or theme being updated is out-of-date. Regularly checking for plugin and theme updates to avoid these potential issues but this isn’t always possible; therefore it’s essential that after any update to ensure everything functions as expected and test your website post update for any possible disruptions or unexpected behavior.
WordPress innovation moves at an impressively rapid rate, so keeping up with updates may be challenging if you don’t stay current with them. Unfortunately, this rapid pace also presents compatibility issues between older plugins that used to function normally and newer ones that might no longer function correctly.
Automatic WordPress updates may seem like a great time saver, but their auto-applied changes could cause errors on your website that require hours or days to resolve if caused by plugin updates that were applied automatically. Therefore, manual updates must also be performed and monitored after each new update to identify any potential issues that could arise as soon as they’ve been installed.
Minor WordPress updates, indicated by changes to the second number (e.g. 5.1 to 5.2), usually focus on bug fixes and security patches rather than making major structural modifications to WordPress itself; as they won’t affect how your site operates as much.
Major WordPress updates (i.e. 5.0 to 6.0) often introduce major modifications that could have significant ramifications on your site and its functionality and design, so it’s advisable to carefully consider their effects prior to upgrading.
Use a staging site for testing updates
Staging sites are invaluable tools for anyone who makes changes to their website, from testing plugins and themes, to conducting troubleshooting before making these changes live. By creating a staging site before going live with any major technical changes, staging sites can prevent major technical problems from taking place on the live website that could harm customers and threaten revenue growth.
As soon as you update WordPress without first testing in a staging environment, it can lead to issues on your live site that require manual rollback. This process is time consuming and frustrating when trying to determine what caused the issue in the first place; additionally, if it involves plugins or themes which haven’t been updated recently then contact with their developers may be necessary in order to find a fix for any potential bugs that arise.
An additional risk associated with not utilizing a staging site is that your site could become exposed to security vulnerabilities. When plugins aren’t updated regularly, security holes become vulnerable and your site could become susceptible to attack. Furthermore, certain developers may abandon or cease developing them leaving you exposed against attack.
Establishing a staging site can help protect your website from malicious code or plugins, by hand or with one-click staging deployment from managed WordPress hosts or via dedicated plugins that simplify this process.
Implementing best practices when updating your WordPress website is crucial to its ongoing security and revenue potential. Not only can these practices ensure that your site remains protected, but they could save countless hours and dollars of headaches along the way.
