WordPress is an ever evolving piece of software, with the WordPress team often releasing updates packed with new features, bug fixes, security fixes, and more. Unfortunately, many webmasters neglect to update their WordPress installations and plugins, which can cause problems in the long run. This article will explain why you should keep WordPress (and your plugins) up to date.
Any software that is as popular as WordPress will become a target for hackers. Unfortunately sometimes, a bug will be found that hackers can use to their advantage to access or deface a WordPress installation. Fortunately the WordPress team are quick to react to these security exploits, often releasing a fix before you even know there’s a problem. Sites that continue to run the old versions of WordPress will still be susceptible to attacks from savvy hackers who abuse the security hole.
It’s important to update to the newest versions of WordPress to ensure that your WordPress sites are secure against potential attacks from hackers.
Likewise, WordPress plugins are susceptible to bugs and security issues, too. In fact many of the biggest security exploits found in WordPress are die to poorly developed plugins.
The WordPress team have been hard at work improving WordPress ever since it’s initial release in 2003. The contrast between the early versions of WordPress and the latest versions is stark; early versions were simple with very limited functionality, while modern day versions of WordPress can be moulded to create virtually any type of website.
Many of the present day WordPress features that we take for granted were introduced gradually in software patches created by the WordPress developer team. Themes, plugins, widgets, wysiwyg editors, and more were all introduced through patches; webmasters had to update their WordPress installations to get access to these new features.
As such, to keep getting these great new features, you need to keep updating the WordPress software.
The latest versions of WordPress include an auto update system making it easy to update to point releases. And major releases, plugin, and theme releases, are all one click away so there’s now no reason not to update.
Many like to hold off in case the update breaks their site, theme, or the plugins they use. I’ve been using WordPress since 2007 and have never experienced a theme or plugin breaking. If it does happen to you then it’s likely that your theme or plugin was coded poorly and perhaps you should consider changing the theme or plugin to one that makes better use of WordPress standards (We have a selection you may like :))
All of the Pro Theme Design themes are developed using the latest version of WordPress and so we know that updates are safe and won't break things. In the unlikely event that a WordPress update does break something we will issue a bug fix as soon as we can.
The latest versions of our themes include the ability to auto update. Make sure you keep your themes up to date to ensure the best security and functionality.
WordPress is a powerful and adaptable piece of software that is continually being improved upon by a dedicated team of volunteers. Likewise, the active plugin developer community has been a strong force, adding a great deal of extra functionality to WordPress over time.
It’s important to keep your WordPress and WordPress plugins updated to ensure that you have access to all of their functionality while minimising the numbers of bugs and potential security holes present in the software.
We'd love to get some feedback to help us create better themes.