At HITS, we offer free WordPress updates to all our client websites throughout the year. As a result, all of our sites are fully backed up and updated daily, and thus, secure and easy to scale over time.
WordPress is open source software with a massive community of contributors working tirelessly to improve it. This kind of development input is essential in keeping WordPress fast and secure, providing many updates throughout the year. Just like any piece of software, updating it is not only important but necessary to ensure a functioning, high performing website.
Let’s look at the key reasons why it is essential to update WordPress:
Security
Security is the primary reason you should keep your WordPress site up to date; updates often feature security enhancements that prevent sites from being exploited. In addition, since WordPress is open-source, it benefits from a community of developers and security experts who are continually testing every version of the software and adequately reporting security fixes. Failing to update the latest version of WordPress can make your site an easy target for hackers and malicious code distributors.
Bug Fixes
Although every major WordPress release goes through a rigorous testing process, sometimes smaller bugs slip through the cracks. This may or may not affect your website, but it is always a good idea to update WordPress to reduce any issues caused by bugs.
Speed
Web technology is continuously changing, and WordPress developers are always searching for ways to make WordPress run faster and more efficiently. By keeping your WordPress site up to date, you will provide not only a better user experience but improve your site’s search engine rankings.
New Features
Every major release of WordPress includes new features tailored to improve the user experience. Past improvements include easily including embeds in text and video widgets, a redesigned plugin directory, and inline link editing via the visual post editor. Updating WordPress will only improve your ability to add new content to your site.
So, What’s Next?
With the release of WordPress 5.0 quickly approaching, which expects to include the Gutenberg editor as part of its core, it is now more important than ever to keep your site up to date. Always back up the database and your website before updating WordPress, and don’t neglect updates. The longer you wait to upgrade to the next version of WordPress, the more you put your site at risk to be exploited by hackers or experiencing significant issues or bugs if your website is multiple versions behind the latest release.
How Can HITS Help?
For more information on working with HITS to ensure the best online presence for your business with regular ongoing WordPress updates, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today!
