Maintaining your WordPress website’s core files, themes, and plugins is essential for security and stability. Updates don’t just introduce new features or fix bugs; they often patch security vulnerabilities that protect your website from threats.
Unfortunately, many small businesses don’t recognize the need for regular updates until they experience a security issue. This can be especially risky for websites hosted on shared servers, where a compromised site can expose others on the same server to security risks.
The Convenience and Risks of WordPress Automatic Background Updates
To streamline updates, WordPress introduced “automatic background updates” in 2013 for the core system, expanding this feature in 2020 to include themes and plugins. Many hosting providers now enable these unattended updates by default, marketing them as a quick and easy maintenance solution.
While automatic updates may seem like a time-saver, they come with significant risks. Sometimes, updates can conflict with existing plugins, custom code, or themes, leading to site errors or even downtime.
Certain hosts attempt to address this by rolling back updates automatically if a problem is detected. However, automatic rollbacks can leave site owners facing unresolved issues, such as:
- Lost Features or Security Fixes: When a rollback occurs, any new features or security enhancements from the update are lost.
- Unclear Problem Resolution: Site owners may not understand why the rollback happened or how to address the underlying issue.
- Limitations on Theme Updates: Some themes, like Divi, may offer internal options for auto-updating, but complex themes like Divi are especially prone to compatibility issues during updates. Automatic updates for such themes are generally not recommended, as they can create conflicts with custom configurations or other plugins, potentially causing site issues.
Without expert oversight, these challenges can leave site owners unsure of how to restore their website’s functionality and security, often requiring professional help to address lingering issues.
Why WPSimplfyd’s Hands-On Approach is Safer and More Reliable
To deliver a stable, secure, and reliable website experience, WPSimplfyd disables all automatic updates and uses a meticulous, hands-on approach for each client:
- Testing on a Staging Server: WPSimplfyd thoroughly tests each update on a staging environment to identify any compatibility issues before applying changes to the live website.
- Proactive Problem Resolution: Unlike automated updates, WPSimplfyd monitors every update for conflicts and addresses issues in real-time, ensuring that site functionality is preserved and problems are prevented before they arise.
- Comprehensive Update Coverage: WPSimplfyd manages updates not only for the WordPress core and plugins available in the repository but also for custom themes and complex themes like Divi. This complete, tailored approach ensures that every part of your site is updated safely, avoiding the limitations and risks of automated systems.
- Security-First Management: In addition to updates, WPSimplfyd installs and configures a premium security plugin and employs advanced security techniques to protect your site from unauthorized access and malicious attacks.
By choosing WPSimplfyd, site owners avoid the uncertainties of unattended updates and rollbacks. WPSimplfyd provides peace of mind by handling every aspect of website maintenance, ensuring your site remains secure, functional, and live.
