Update WordPress – Should I Click the Button?

Many people with a WordPress website wonder what to do when they see the notice in the WordPress admin asking them to update to the latest version.

Updating WordPress yourself can be as simple as clicking a button, but things can go wrong. Many people take it for granted that all WordPress websites should use the latest version. There is some risk involved, so it’s worth considering why it’s worth bothering with and what you can do to minimize the risks.

The last major release of WordPress was version 3.3, released in December 2011. In addition to the new features for WordPress developers, there are many improvements to benefit the average blogger or website owner:

• My favorite new feature is the floating menus in the WordPress admin navigation, giving you one-click access to any screen. Sounds simple, but it’s a huge improvement that instead of having to click on, say, pages, THEN wait for the page to load, THEN click ‘Add New’, you can NOW hover over the pages and immediately click ‘Add New’ in the dropdown menu. As a WordPress designer, this has already saved me a ton of time and will help you too.
• It’s easier than ever to upload images and other media through the single upload button on the WordPress toolbar. The drag and drop media uploader allows you to drag and drop files directly from your computer to the WordPress admin, instead of having to browse to the file location.
• Every time you add a new function, a pointer tip appears that provides helpful information on how to use the function.
• Improved touch support for those who use iPads or other tablets to manage their WordPress website.
• Version control has been improved for larger companies with multiple users editing the same pages and posts: improved co-editing support blocks posts being edited by someone else.
• And more.

Website security is constantly evolving. Hackers are constantly working to discover and exploit loopholes, and WordPress developers are constantly working to close them. The latest version will usually have a number of important security fixes to protect your website. The most responsible thing is to update to the latest version and protect your WordPress website.

Updating WordPress should be as easy as the click of a button, but things aren’t always that simple. Sometimes things can go wrong; for example, the new version may not be compatible with your website theme or some of the plugins. The worst case scenario is that updating WordPress could break your website.

Problems are more likely to occur if:

• Your website is particularly complex or has many plugins installed
• You haven’t fully upgraded and are running a particularly old version of WordPress, your website theme, or any of the plugins.

If any of this applies to your website, then it might be worth hiring a professional WordPress designer to update WordPress for you. This is less likely to be necessary for simpler sites.

Updating WordPress will affect all files and folders included in the core installation, including all core files that run WordPress and any plugins that come pre-packaged with it. If you have made any customizations to these files, your changes will be lost.

It’s not good practice to modify the core WordPress installation anyway, so if you’ve done this I’d suggest looking for an alternative way to accomplish what you’re trying to do. If you don’t know how, any good WordPress designer can help you with this.

Follow the WordPress Codex instructions to update WordPress with minimal risk. This includes instructions on how to back up your WordPress website before upgrading, so you have something to go back to if something goes wrong.

I would add an extra precaution to make things safer. In addition to backing up your site, create a separate test site; this is basically a duplicate of your live site where you can test any changes (ie update WordPress) before applying the same changes to the live site. Although taking a backup is a good backup option (excuse the pun), restoring your WordPress site to a backed up version is a hassle, so it’s best not to let things go wrong in the first place. Updating WordPress on a test site first is the way to go, as with any other major changes you make to your site at any time.

I would also recommend checking that each of your plugins is compatible with the new version. You can do this by finding the plugin in the WordPress plugin directory and checking the compatibility box in the right column.

Another tip is to wait a week or so for a new version to be released before applying the update to your website. This gives WordPress plugin developers and theme designers a chance to test their work with the new version and release a new version if needed, which you can update to at the same time. Don’t leave it too long though, as running an older version of WordPress is too big of a security risk.

If you update WordPress and the worst happens, there are a few things you can do:

• If you backed up your site, you can go back to the previous version. If you didn’t, don’t panic! It is likely that your WordPress web host has made regular backups of your site. Although there may be a charge for this service, they should be able to revert the site to a previous version prior to the upgrade. This will get your website working again, but you’ll still have to figure out how to update to the latest version without breaking it again.
• You can try to identify the problem yourself by disabling all plugins and re-enabling them one by one. If the problem reoccurs after activating a particular plugin, try removing it and replacing it with something else.
• If you can’t get to the bottom of the problem, you can ask a WordPress designer to get everything working properly again.

You may ask if it’s worth the hassle, and I’d say yes. Any upgrade carries risk, but the benefits more than outweigh it.

Most WordPress designers offer a WordPress update service and can do it for you, including full testing to make sure everything is working properly; this may be worth considering for complex sites with many plugins or custom features.

And if you do it yourself follow the tips above in most cases your upgrade will be successful.