Your WordPress website runs on a limitless ecosystem of plugin and theme software. If you ignore these software updates, you are putting your website at risk.
We all get (and often ignore) those emails – the ones from WordPress reminding us that our plugin software needs an update. There is a fleeting sense of urgency, quickly followed by the realization that you don’t know how to update your software. So you put it on the “to-do” list and promptly forget about it.
Well, I’m here to give you an aha moment about these software and license updates: they’re essential. They are essential for the smooth operation of your website and for compliance with the terms of use of your software.
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that builds on a huge ecosystem of smaller software providers and offers users a wide variety of plugins and widgets, templates and designs (there are 56,000 free plugins alone). It is an open source software to whose development countless companies worldwide contribute.
However, if you do not update this software as required, you make your website vulnerable to security vulnerabilities and ensure slow loading times and poor performance.
Understand your WordPress website
Aside from the ingenuity of its creation in 2002, the real power of WordPress lies in the overwhelming number of software companies that develop widgets, themes and plugins for the site.
These third-party software companies (and a legion of dedicated volunteers – cheers to the volunteers!) are the engine of WordPress. They create all the design templates and plugins that make WordPress so functional and versatile.
Theme stores
There are thousands of free design themes available for your WordPress website, but you can get higher quality and more responsive themes by purchasing a “premium” theme from a theme store.
Theme stores are software companies that design templates for WordPress users so they can choose the one that suits their business and personality.
Plugins
Plugins are additions to WordPress that extend the basic functions and make your website more convenient for you and your visitors. You can think of them as the apps that extend the main functions of your cell phone.
Thousands of software developers make plugins for WordPress that create elements such as contact forms and social media sharing buttons, image galleries and newsletter signups.
eCommerce
eCommerce systems, also known as shopping cart plugins, are a special type of plugin that allows users to buy goods on your website. This type of software makes it easy for your customers to select and pay for your products, and it also makes it easy for you to see what has been purchased and fulfill the order.
Every theme and plugin can be used on your website, many of them free, but some “premium” options come at a cost. By using WordPress, your website has almost unlimited possibilities for customization, so that your website is ideally tailored to your company and your visitors. Within the WordPress ecosystem, you have an amazing number of options at your disposal.
So that the light does not go out
All these elements together result in your customized WordPress website. Part of my job is to sift through the dizzying array of themes and plugins to find the ones that work best for your website. I then develop the website using these themes and plugins as well as my expertise in beautiful, functional website design.
But as soon as I have created a website, someone has to take care of it.
Every theme and every plugin needs to be maintained to keep the lights on, sometimes even daily. In addition, every theme and every plugin require license fees for updating the software. If you fall behind on your website maintenance or forget to make a license payment, you risk a slow, non-functional website.
Keep your website running smoothly
If you always update your theme and plug-in software when updates are recommended, it will run better. Updates are often written because a bug in the old code causes it to run slower or less efficiently than it should. This is a massive deterrent for customers, who will leave your website immediately if it is hindered by frustrating loading times.
Keep your Google ranking
Updates also help your website to be ranked higher in the search algorithms. So if your business relies on generating leads through SEO strategies or digital marketing, you will lose out on sales if you don’t make updates.
Keep your data safe
Developers also write plugin and theme updates to close security gaps in the code. Hackers are constantly trying to circumvent your website’s security measures. In fact, there is a ransomware attack every 11 seconds. These hackers not only target large companies, but often prefer smaller companies because they assume that their security measures are less stringent. By updating your plugin and theme software every time it is recommended, you are helping to protect your data and the data of your customers.
Vigilant plugin and theme updates are essential for managing your WordPress website, and they are a never-ending task. They are like the tide: they come in, you take care of them, and then they come in again. And like the tide, they are vital.
You can have the best of both worlds
It’s natural to ignore problems that you don’t know how to solve. However, you can have the best of both worlds: You can ignore those update emails and still enjoy the benefits of a regularly updated website by investing in a website maintenance plan.
These services constantly monitor all security and performance updates to your website and also take care of the license fees. You no longer have to wonder if your theme has been updated (it has!) or if your eCommerce plugin is up to date (it is!). It’s very reassuring to know that these tasks are in the hands of experts, and it’s a great relief to know that you don’t have to lift a finger.
Website Care plans also take care of hosting and provide you with daily data backups. They offer unlimited access to support and even detailed web analytics so you can see how your website is performing and get detailed reports on user behavior on your website.
So if you don’t like doing software updates (which you don’t!), consider a website maintenance plan. Fill out this contact form and we’ll arrange a meeting to discuss how care plans work and which one might be right for you.
When you invest in a website maintenance plan, you get a polished, secure website and the peace of mind that it will stay that way. I update the software and you can concentrate on your business again.
