If your organization’s website is powered by WordPress and you can login to the backend, then you have likely seen the different notifications for things needing updated. Whether it’s your website’s theme, the plugins, or WordPress itself, there always seems to be something that needs an update. With some plugins changing every few days, WordPress changing almost monthly, and website themes seeming to change almost as often as WordPress does, it seems like the updates never stop. But does it really matter if you keep of them current? 

Increase Security 

One of the biggest reasons for updating everything on a regular basis is to increase security. When even just one element is out of date, there is a chance for a vulnerability to be taken advantage of.  In fact, 86% of websites that get hacked happen because of something being outdated. But website developers aren’t the only ones talking about the importance of updating everything. WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg is also telling people of just how important it is to stay current with everything on your website. 

Fix Possible Bugs 

Along with security fixes will come fixes to bugs for all three elements (WordPress, website theme and plugins) for your website. As new features and functionalities get added on, there can be bugs that are found after they are made available for the public. Updates will typically have any fixes to those found bugs built in. 

Compatibility 

Not only is it important to have a secure website, but it’s also important to make sure everything works well together. Sometimes when one element of your website is updated but another isn’t there can be part of your website that stop working for you. For example, if you have a website theme that depends on plugin to help it work correctly then it is critical to update both at the same time. If they are not both updated then you are likely to see a large string of code text, that looks like a big paragraph of gibberish, in place of the item that was originally there. 

Improve Speed 

In addition to making sure everything is secure and running correctly, it is important that it is running quickly. The faster things process in the background, the faster it can load your website for visitors. The longer it takes to load a page on your website, the more visitors you will lose. In fact, 74% of smartphone users will abandon a website if it doesn’t load in 5 seconds. That speed matters to more than just the visitors…it also matters to Google. If Google notices the delay in load time, it will impact your SEO (search engine optimization) by pushing you farther down the list of search results. 

Added Functionality 

Not all updates are focused on making sure the current functions are working efficiently while maintaining the necessary security. There is also development of new functions happening. Those new functions are among the things available in the different updates received on a regular basis. Without the updates you will not be able to take advantage of the ways these developers are making things easier and more enjoyable to sure their products. 

How Often Should You Update Everything? 

Now that we’ve looked at the different reasons it’s important to keep WordPress, website theme and plugins updated… it’s only natural to wonder how often you should check. A good rule of thumb is to check it all once a week, preferably during a time with extremely low to no traffic. That doesn’t mean you will have something from all three elements to update each week. You will likely only have to update a few plugins, depending on how many you are using, each week. WordPress and website theme will likely only be updated once a month. 

Another good thing to keep in mind is that it is helpful to have a plugin, like Jetpack, to have a quality backup for your website. Keeping a recent backup available helps to alleviate any concerns with the updating process. If for some reason your update has issues, the backup is available to help fix things. 

In Conclusion 

The shorter answer to the question “does it really matter if you keep WordPress, website theme and plugins updated” is YES! There’s a several bad things that can gradually build up and cause a lot of trouble for both your website and your organization if you decide to ignore the notifications. On the other hand, there are a lot of benefits to keeping everything current, including having more flexibility with what you have available to you. Even though it does take a little time to process through the different updates, the time is worth it and strongly recommended.