If you’re running a business, the chances are that your website is built on WordPress. It’s a popular platform for hosting, offering you endless choices for plugins and themes. Unfortunately, many people don’t realise that constant updates are necessary to keep your website running smoothly.
Black hats (hackers) constantly discover ways to get through themes and plugins to destroy sites, sometimes even holding them for ransom. Many fall victim to these tactics, where they have to shell out money to gain access back to their respective sites. As a business owner, these are circumstances that you must avoid at all costs.
Here is a simple guide to the benefits of updating your WordPress site:
Contrary to what many believe, WordPress plugins are not designed to keep working at maximum capacity. They’re also not meant to stay compatible with your site for long periods. While the case may be different from specific and smaller plugins (non-critical tasks like adding images), bigger plugins (tasks involving product categories and form submissions), will require you to seek proper website maintenance.
Remember: the landscape of the internet is not static, so plugin developers constantly add and improve on their features and designs. To ensure that your website remains afloat and relevant, continue to check for updates.
Although its popularity and active community mean profitability and wide reach for your business, its vulnerability will quickly develop issues on your site. As mentioned, your website is susceptible to hack attacks, as with every other website existing on the internet. As the most popular Content Management System (CMS), WordPress has become the main target for hackers. Current data insights suggest that the vast majority of hacked websites hosted on WordPress have ignored updates.
Dealing with a hacked website is bad business, not just in terms of finances—it signals bad reputation and services as well. Remember that the main goal of hackers is to bring down your site; any malicious content will be present. No one wants to navigate through business websites and find undesirable photographs and videos posted. With these in mind, it’s best to keep your website regularly updated. Small sites with static content will do well with updates every three months, but bigger websites should constantly check for security updates.
Regular maintenance helps you keep total control of your business website. More than security and plugin updates, constant updating also allows you the opportunity to review the entirety of your website. You’ll soon find the need for content updates, as well as possible new content you can create and share. Broken contact forms, links, and glitches in navigation and social media connections will also be seen.
Being constantly aware of your website’s performance will help you see your statistics from a new perspective. Ultimately, that will help you come up with better strategies to achieve your business goals.
There are plenty of benefits to updating your WordPress website, and it goes beyond just security and performance. It also helps you ponder on your current business standing, your goals, and other possible strategies you can develop. As you update your website, however, be careful about any upgrading that may break your site. If your website continues to function just fine, there is no need to rush upgrades apart from security.
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