why choose wordpress?_
Did you know that over 32% of all websites currently run on WordPress? That amounts to over 75 million websites! It’s not hard to see why WordPress is the most popular choice for building a website. It is free, extremely versatile and the huge number of themes available make it suitable for all types of websites. However, once you have got your shiny new website up and running, it is important to update your version of WordPress regularly. This also includes updating your WordPress themes and plugins in order to protect it and above all, benefit from the latest features available.
Why Is It Important To Use The Latest Version Of WordPress?
WordPress is an open source software. It has a community of developers working continuously to ensure that it is providing the most advanced platform available to its users and this means frequent updates. As with any software it is important to keep it updated to ensure you are benefiting from the latest version. This will mean that your website is always running smoothly and securely. Let’s take a closer look at the top 5 reasons to update your version of WordPress.
Top 5 Reasons To Update WordPress
1. Site Security
How would your business cope if your website was compromised? For instance, if your site is running from an outdated version of WordPress you would be putting your website at huge risk to hackers and malicious threats. As WordPress is such a widely used system, this means it is also a popular target for hackers. The latest WordPress version will always include the latest security features, fix any bugs and will keep your website protected. It can take a huge amount of time and money to recover lost content and customer loyalty can be affected if a website is experiencing downtime. Is it really worth risking?
2. Site Speed
Website speed impacts organic search rankings on desktop and on mobile and customers are too busy to hang around waiting for a website to load. If it doesn’t load in around 3 seconds they are gone! Each new WordPress release ensures that site speed is optimised for your website, keeping your user engaged and also minimising bounce rate. For more tips on website speed take a look at our blog – Top 10 ways to improve website speed
3. Site Performance
By updating your site it will benefit from the latest features and functions available. In turn, this will give your customers, users or readers the best possible user experience available. If you are still using older versions of WordPress there may be certain codes or plugins that slow down or stop working creating a frustrating experience for the user. By doing regular updates you can ensure that the site is working at its best.
4. Update Plugins
You should update all aspects of your site and this includes plugins and themes. Plugins are also targeted by hackers trying to infiltrate a site so it’s just as crucial to ensure that they are all kept up to date. If certain plugins are no longer required it’s best to remove them. By subscribing to developers updates these can quite easily be refreshed frequently. This would ensure that all plugins are still compatible with the current version of WordPress.
5. Fix Site Bugs
As with any software, if bugs are not fixed they can cause huge errors. In the worst case they can cause the site to crash which is far from ideal as recovering from a crash will cause unnecessary issues that could have been avoided with a simple update.
Summary
In conclusion, if you update your version of WordPress and it’s themes and plugins regularly, you will be minimising the risks of security threats. Secondly, you are keeping your site optimised for your customers and users. When an update is available a message will appear in the WordPress Admin screen so act on it straight away. Always ensure that you back up your website before performing any updates! Don’t forget about the hosting either as this supports your website and can improve SEO results. There are a few to choose from and we can also provide hosting.
Top Tip! Always ensure that you back up your website before performing any updates! Don’t forget about the hosting either as this supports your website and can improve SEO results. There are a few to choose from and we can also provide hosting.
If you are looking to make changes or updates to your current WordPress site or transfer from another platform, then contact us to discuss your requirements. We have developed hundreds of WordPress sites for a wide range of clients. Take a look at our work here.
Contact us : 0207 993 5485 [email protected]
