You may have heard that you need to keep your website “up-to-date” (especially if it’s built in a CMS, like WordPress). What does this even mean? Well, in this context, keeping your WordPress website up-to-date means that the framework, plugins, and themes have the most recent versions installed. Just like updating the software on your computer or smartphone, websites need these frequent updates as well to ensure everything continues to function properly.
Here are 5 reasons
Why it’s important to keep your WordPress website up-to-date
:
- Security – One of the main reasons to keep a WordPress site updated is for security. WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world, and as such, it is a frequent target for hackers and cybercriminals. Unfortunately, these no-gooders may attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in outdated themes, plugins, or the core WordPress software to gain unauthorized access to a site’s sensitive information. By keeping everything up-to-date, these vulnerabilities can be patched and the site can be better protected from potential attacks.
- Performance – Another reason to keep a WordPress site updated is for performance. As WordPress and its themes and plugins are updated, new features and improvements are often added. These updates can include performance enhancements, such as faster load times or improved code efficiency, which can lead to a better user experience for visitors to the site. These updates may include bug fixes, which help to eliminate errors and crashes that can negatively impact a site’s performance.
- Functionality – Updating the website is also important for functionality. As WordPress and its ecosystem continue to evolve, these files may also need to be updated to ensure compatibility with the latest software version. Without these updates, the site may not work correctly, and the site may experience issues such as broken layouts or missing features. This can really make your site look ugly and unprofessional.
- Better SEO – Yes, that’s right, updating WordPress can have a positive impact on a website’s search engine rankings. Since search engines like Google use factors like site speed, performance, and mobile responsiveness as part of their ranking factors. Although this may help, it’s important to note that Google uses a variety of factors to determine search engine rankings, updating WordPress alone may not guarantee improved rankings, but it can be a part of a comprehensive SEO strategy that can help improve a website’s visibility on Google.
- It can save you a HUGE headache – Debatably the most important reason of the 5, this could save you from a site meltdown and massive headache. Far too often have we seen businesses neglect website updates which have led to site failure, ransomware attacks, embarrassment, stress, and loss of revenue. It’s not that these businesses were negligent, it’s just that they did not see the importance, nor did they have the expertise to address such site updates regularly.
A frequent updating schedule is essential!
To be perfectly clear, keeping a WordPress site updated is essential for maintaining the security, performance, and functionality of the website. By regularly updating things like themes, plugins, and the core WordPress, you will protect your site from potential security threats, improve performance, and ensure that your site remains fully functional. Failing to do so may result in the site getting hacked, going down, or both.
Before you dive in, it’s important to always make sure to back up your website before updating anything.
If you own a business or manage a WordPress website, consider implementing a regular site maintainance schedule NOW! If you do not have the expertise or time to do so, it is vital that you hire an expert who can help. At Durling Digital, we are more than happy to work with you to address site updates before they become unmanageable. We offer total site maintenance plans with all of our custom web design projects. Give us a call, we’d love to talk.
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