Today, WordPress is one of the most popular CMS platforms for creating any type of websites. Nearly 45% of websites are running on WordPress and the number is growing with the passage of every day. Moverover, WordPress is persistently evolving, with Expert WordPress developers launching a new versions bundled with new features, additional functionality, bug fixes, security fixes and much more.
Whenever an update is suggested, it's vital for you to approve it, after performing a backup. And, after it’s all said and done however, you can do its majority refresh or update with a single click. However, there is quite possible that website owners who face the difficulty during upgrading their websites to the latest version. For this purpose website owner hire WordPress Expert to fulfil their requirements with ease.
Now, let’s discuss few main reasons why you need to update your website?
It’s always a good practice to keep your WordPress website up-to-date. The two major reasons responsible for getting your website hacked are weak passwords and outdated WP versions.
Security threats
WordPress being the most popular platform is an easy target for hackers. Hackers usually try to gain access to those websites that haven’t been updated for a while since outdated software makes it easy for them to find a bug and uses it to gain access to the website.
Fortunately, the WordPress team is quick enough to fix the problems by launching a new, improved version for its users and put a stop to security loopholes. Websites that continue to use the older versions of WP remain vulnerable to attacks.
Additional functionalities
The developers of WP have been working hard to improve WP since its inception. The differences between the early versions and the latest versions are huge. While early versions had simple functionality that offered only a blogging system, new versions have the ability to develop any type of website today.
How to update your WordPress?
First of all, you need to know when the right time to update your website is. The key here is to update the site when you have low traffic on your website since you wouldn’t want your visitors to see all the changes you are making on your site. Also to avoid complications in case something goes wrong.
Basically, there are 6 steps to follow in order to successfully upgrade your WordPress website.
1. Backup your website
Backups ensure that you always have a second copy of your website ready to use in case the update process goes awry. It is always a bright idea to backup your site before you make any changes to it.
You can either do it manually using FTP client or with the help of a backup WP plugin to make the process easier. Before you move on to the next step, ensure that you have backed up you plugins and themes.
2. Turn Caching Off
Deactivate your caching to avoid caching maintenance pages while upgrading your website. You can deactivate your caching plugin such as W3 Total Cache if you are using one.
3. Update themes and plugins
In order to update your WordPress, it is important to update your themes and plugins first. This is to make your themes and plugins compatible with the latest version of WP. Usually, WP updates are accompanied with themes and plugin updates. Developers are often advised to keep their themes and plugins ready for the update. You can automatically update them by click dashboard -> updates or you can also set up a connection to your website through FTP client and update manually.
4. Upgrade your WordPress
Once you have updated your plugins and themes, now it’s time to update your WordPress. Just hit the automatic update button and let it update the WP for you. Sit back and relax since it may take a while to complete.
5. Activate caching again
When you are done with updating the WP, you can turn your caching on and clear out the cache. All you need to do is activate your plugins again.
6. Test your website
Browse all the pages to ensure that your website is working fine, and there isn’t anything missing. A number of web masters usually overlook this step. However, it is one of the most important steps that ensures you have successfully upgraded your WordPress website.
WordPress is a powerful software that has revolutionized the way we develop websites today. Also, it is highly adaptable CMS that is constantly being improved for the betterment of its users. Therefore, it’s necessary to keep your sites up-to-date to make sure that you have access to all the latest features while reducing the security threats.
Top comments (0)