Hey,
I know the title sounds scary but trust me, when you’re going read what I’m about to tell you, I’m sure you’re going to agree!!
I am referring to the automated update feature in WordPress.
If you’ve been following us for a while you already know that we take website safety and security very seriously.
One thing that we tell all our clients is to always keep their site updated and current with the latest WordPress version.
But.. that does not mean having the automated update on or just clicking on the update now button!
Doing so can and one day will either:
- give you the white screen of death
- have your site starting to act strangely or missing some functionalities
The thing is, when you update WordPress you need to make sure that you also update the plugins and the theme you use. Unfortunately, since plugins developers and WordPress developers do not talk to each other : you might end up with a web site that has the latest WordPress update but that is not functioning anymore because your plugins are not compatible any more.
And that happens a lot! Even to the big social media plugins (I won’t say names).
We usually give 2 weeks before we even try updates, that gives the time to plugin developers to update their plugins to be compatible with the new WordPress version.
The solution : test your updates on a test site (or development site if you prefer) first, then if nothing breaks, apply it to your live site, Simple? yes but time consuming I know.
That’s a small price to pay to keep hackers at bay.
G+
I so agree with you. It is time consuming but I have had a site crash horribly on me because of just one plugin error not compatible with an older version of WP.
I also cringe when it comes to update time because I know what can go wrong but as you so expertly stated, “test on a test site first.”
I also ensure I have backups on two places – my computer and a full backup of site and database on the host before doing anything drastic. I’ve learned my lesson.
Thanks for your comment Steph! Most people won’t do anything to protect their site until they experience a problem, so you’re not the only one 🙂 I’m glad to hear you’ve got the backups in place and that you know how important it is to keep your site updated. If you don’t have a test site and would like to know how to have one feel free to signup in the sidebar and you’ll get access to free tutorial videos with a whole,section on how to create a test site, let me know if you have any questions 🙂