How to Update a WordPress Website Live
WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) powering millions of websites around the world. The software is incredibly popular because of its simplicity and flexibility. It’s backed by a powerful community and is regularly updated by the WordPress development team. As a result, it’s among the most reliable CMS solutions around. Let’s take a closer look at how to update a WordPress website live.
The Importance Of Testing
One of the key reasons why WordPress is so popular is because of its strong community. The WordPress development team is always looking for ways to make the software better and more efficient. As a result, you’ll frequently see new versions of WordPress hitting the web with a new feature or fix.
Unfortunately, not all website owners are tech-savvy and may not be comfortable trying out new versions of WordPress. For those users, it’s crucial to test out new versions of WordPress before they go live. This way, you can ensure that you’re not introducing any bugs or glitches that could potentially break or damage your website.
WordPress 4.9.8, for example, was released just this week and boasts numerous improvements and new features. The developers behind WordPress say that the new version is completely free of bugs and glitches and is suitable for production use. If you’re unsure whether or not to update to WordPress 4.9.8, it’s best to test it out first on a separate site or free WordPress account before committing. You can also contact the WordPress team directly via their support chat to get additional information. Otherwise, you could find yourself with a broken or incomplete website after updating.
The Pros And Cons Of Installing Fresh WordPress The Easy Way
Installing fresh WordPress is the simplest and most convenient way to update a WordPress website. Simply download the latest version of the software and unzip the directory on your computer. You’ll then see a number of files and folders, some of which are hidden. To make things easier for you, we’ve compiled a list of some of the pros and cons of fresh WordPress installation:
- No upgrading necessary
- No security risks
- Flexible
- Simple
In case you’re wondering, fresh WordPress installation does not imply that your website will be erased. Instead, it will be located in a brand-new directory with a fresh copy of the database. As a result, you’ll need to migrate your content over to the new site. This can be a tedious task, particularly if you’re not familiar with SQL queries and suchlike.
Manually Updating A WordPress Website
If you’d rather not update your WordPress website through the automated process, you have several options available to you. The first step is to create a backup of your website’s original contents.
For instance, let’s say you’re running WordPress 3.5.1 and you want to update to the latest version, WordPress 4.9.8. The easiest way to do this is to download the latest version of WordPress and replace your website’s current files with the new ones. This is called a ‘file-by-file’ or ‘dot-by-dot’ update. This way, you’ll maintain all of the original design and functionality of your website without risking any mistakes. As you make changes to the new files, you can simply revert back to your previous versions by overwriting the modified files with the original ones.
The downside to this method is that it’s quite tedious and can be a time-consuming process. Depending on how large your website is, this could take a while. If you’re looking for a simple way to update your WordPress website without too much effort, this is the preferred method. Otherwise, starting from scratch is always an option.
If you’re looking for a more streamlined approach, you can always use a premium plugin that allows you to automate the entire process of updating your website. Just insert the plugin’s key into the plugin area of your WordPress dashboard to achieve the same effect. Some of the plugins available for this purpose are WP Upgrade Plus, Rapid WordPress Upgrader, and WordPress MyUpgrade.
The Many Benefits Of Using The WordPress Caching Plugin
One of the things that make WordPress so popular is because of its built-in caching functionality. The caching plugin essentially stores a copy of your web pages, videos, and other content in a remote location (usually another server or server farm) to speed up your site’s load times. This is particularly beneficial for users on slower or inconsistent networks.
While this might not sound like a big deal, the caching functionality in WordPress is quite limited. The caching plugin offers no security enhancements, advanced performance optimizations, or any of the other features you might want from a content delivery network (CDN). In other words, the caching plugin is great for caching content but doesn’t offer anything else. It also doesn’t offer any features that might require you to upgrade to a premium plugin.
If you decide that you want to use the caching plugin, make sure to pick one that’s supported by WordPress and offers all the features you need. Otherwise, you could find yourself with an unsupported plugin that doesn’t perform as well as it should.
What About Security?
One of the things we all worry about when it comes to technology is security. After all, we’re constantly bombarded with news stories about data breaches and cybersecurity attacks. In the interest of maintaining a secure and safe experience on your WordPress website, you’ll want to keep a close eye on things. Here are some tips to help you stay safe while using WordPress:
- Use a security key
- Update your plugins
- Use a firewall
- Monitor your server’s logs
- Change your passwords regularly
If you’re using a plugin to manage your WordPress website’s comments, it’s important to remember that malicious comments can be hidden inside. For example, comments created with the Disqus plugin will automatically appear on your site as soon as you activate the plugin. This may seem like a convenient feature, but it comes with some serious security risks. When you activate the Disqus plugin, you’re giving the company access to your site’s comments. As a result, make sure you’re comfortable with the company you’re choosing to host your comments.
Is It Worth It?
Now that you’re equipped with the basics of how to update a WordPress website, it’s time to ask yourself: is it worth it? Is upgrading to the latest version of WordPress suitable for my needs? The answer to this question depends on a lot of factors, but here are some basic guidelines:
- If your site is new, then yes, definitely worth it
- If your site is more than a few years old, then it’s probably not worth it
- If your site gets a decent amount of traffic, then it’s worth considering
- If your site becomes more of a time-sink than an asset, then it’s probably not worth it
- If you don’t want to take the time to learn how to update a WordPress website, then it’s probably not worth it
Choosing a new WordPress version is a lot like choosing a new iPhone version. If you’re just starting out, it’s probably best to stay put and update to the version closest to the one you have now. As mentioned before, the WordPress development team is quick to update and release new versions with new features and enhancements. As a result, if you’re looking for a feature-laden, stable CMS solution that’s constantly being updated, then WordPress is the platform for you.