The safe way to update WordPress is simple: take a full backup first, update one thing at a time starting with your plugins, and check your site after each step. If anything goes wrong, you restore the backup and you are back where you started. Most updates take minutes and cause no trouble at all. The stories you hear about updates breaking sites almost always come down to skipping the backup or updating everything in one hit, so nobody knows which change caused the problem.
Why updates matter more than you think
Updates are not just about new features. The majority of hacked WordPress sites are compromised through outdated plugins and themes with known security holes. Once a vulnerability is published, attackers scan the web for sites that have not patched it. Keeping your site current is the single most effective security habit you can build, and it costs nothing.
Updates also keep your site compatible with new versions of PHP and WordPress itself, which is what keeps things running quickly and smoothly over the long term.
Step one: back up before you touch anything
Never run updates without a current backup of both your files and your database. If your host offers one-click backups, take one now. If you use a backup plugin, run a manual backup rather than relying on last night’s scheduled one. The goal is a restore point from the minute before you started.
If you are not sure your backups actually work, sort that out first. A backup you have never tested is a hope, not a plan.
Step two: update in the right order
Work through updates methodically rather than clicking Update All:
- Plugins first, one at a time. Update a plugin, then load your homepage and one or two key pages. If something breaks, you know exactly which plugin caused it.
- Themes next. If your theme has been customised directly rather than through a child theme, stop and get advice first, because an update can wipe those changes. This is one reason properly built custom WordPress themes and plugins are safer to maintain than hacked-together ones.
- WordPress core last. Minor releases (like 6.8.1 to 6.8.2) are very safe. For major releases, read the plugin compatibility notes first if your site relies on anything complex like WooCommerce.
Step three: check your site properly
After updating, do a quick walk-through as a visitor would. Load the homepage, open a couple of inner pages, submit your contact form to yourself, and if you sell online, run a test through the cart to the payment page. Check on your phone as well as your computer. Five minutes of checking now beats discovering a broken enquiry form three weeks later.
Should you turn on automatic updates?
It depends on the site. For a simple brochure site with a handful of well-known plugins, auto-updates are usually fine and safer than forgetting for months. For anything business-critical, especially an online store, we recommend controlled manual updates on a schedule, ideally tested on a staging copy of the site first. Auto-updates apply changes with nobody watching, so if something breaks at 2am on a Saturday, you find out from a customer.
A sensible middle ground: auto-update minor WordPress core releases and trusted plugins, and handle major updates manually.
How often should you update?
Check in at least fortnightly, and apply security releases as soon as you reasonably can. If your site has not been updated in six months or more, do not click Update All. Take a backup, update gradually, and consider having a professional look it over first, since big version jumps are where problems happen.
Rather not think about any of this?
That is fair enough. Plenty of business owners have better things to do than babysit plugin updates. Our WordPress care and maintenance services handle backups, updates, security monitoring and testing on a regular schedule, so your site stays healthy without you lifting a finger. Skink is part of the Defyn family, so there is a broader team behind every site we look after.
Want your WordPress updates handled properly? Call us on 02 9834 4119 or get in touch for a chat about a maintenance plan that suits your site.
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