How to Update WordPress and Plugins and Why It Matters

Introduction

Many website owners think updating WordPress is simply routine maintenance, something to do when they have time. It is much more than that. Keeping WordPress, plugins, themes, and PHP updated is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your website, your business, and your customers.

An outdated website is not just running an older version of software — it is a potential security risk. Every day, automated bots scan millions of websites looking for known vulnerabilities. If your site is running software with a security issue that has already been fixed, attackers can discover and exploit it without ever targeting your business specifically. Your website is not usually chosen by an attacker; it is found by a machine.

An outdated plugin is like a door with a known unlocked entry point. Updating the plugin closes that door.

Why Keeping WordPress Updated Matters

Your website is more than a collection of files and software — it is an important part of your business. It helps customers find your services, contact you, make purchases, and build trust in your brand. Keeping it secure, available, and working correctly is essential to your daily operations, and regular updates help prevent the problems that interrupt them.

Updates Help Keep Your Website Secure

WordPress, plugins, and themes are software, and like any software they can contain security weaknesses. When developers discover an issue, they fix it and release an update — but once a fix is published, details about the vulnerability usually become public as well.

That is the moment the clock starts. The same information that tells you to update also tells attackers exactly what to look for on sites that have not updated yet. Installing the update promptly closes that window; leaving it open for weeks or months does not.

Updates Help Prevent Business Disruption

A security problem or a broken website affects your business directly. A compromised or unavailable site can lead to:

• Customers being unable to access your website
• Lost sales and customer inquiries
• Damage to your business reputation
• Search engine warnings that discourage visitors
• Email delivery problems if your domain is abused for spam

Recovering from any of these takes far more time, effort, and money than the few minutes needed to install updates on schedule.

Think of Updates as Preventive Maintenance

Updating WordPress is similar to maintaining a vehicle: you do not wait for the engine to fail before performing basic service. Regular checks prevent larger and more expensive problems later, and the same applies to your website. A few minutes spent reviewing updates regularly can prevent hours of troubleshooting, downtime, and lost business.

Your goal is simple: keep your website secure, available, and working reliably for your customers.

What Needs to Be Updated?

A WordPress website has several important components, and all of them need attention.

Component	What it is	Where do you update it
WordPress core	The main WordPress software	Dashboard → Updates
Plugins	Additional features such as contact forms, SEO tools, WooCommerce, payment systems, and page builders	Plugins → Installed Plugins
Themes	The design and layout of your website	Appearance → Themes
PHP	The programming language your website runs on	Your hosting control panel — not WordPress

PHP Is Updated in Your Hosting Panel

PHP is the one item in the table that you do not update from inside WordPress, which is why it is so often forgotten. Old PHP versions eventually stop receiving security fixes altogether, and they run measurably slower than current ones — so an outdated PHP version is both a security problem and a performance problem.

In cPanel, the setting is under Software → Select PHP Version (or MultiPHP Manager, depending on how your hosting is configured). Other control panels offer an equivalent option.

Update WordPress core, plugins, and themes before you switch PHP versions — current versions are far more likely to support a current PHP release. If you are not sure which version is safe for your site, ask your hosting provider; many will check compatibility for you. You can see which PHP versions still receive security support at php.net/supported-versions.php.

Why Plugins Need Extra Attention

Plugins are one of the most common sources of WordPress security problems. Most websites run plugins written by many different developers, and each one adds code to your site — so the more plugins you use, the more important regular updates become.

Pay particular attention to plugins that handle:

• Payments
• Customer accounts
• Online stores
• Memberships
• Booking systems
• Contact forms

When Updating Is Not Enough

Sometimes there is no update to install, because the plugin is no longer maintained. A plugin that has not been touched by its developer in over a year, or that has been removed from the WordPress.org plugin directory, will never receive a fix for its next vulnerability. The Update button does not help here — the plugin has to be replaced.

Check for this from time to time. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins, click View details on a plugin, and look at Last updated and Tested up to. WordPress also displays a warning on plugins that have been removed from the directory.

If a plugin looks abandoned, find a maintained alternative, move your data over, and then delete the old one. Deactivating it is not enough — the files remain on your server and can still be reached.

⚠️ Never install nulled or pirated plugins and themes

Paid plugins offered for free on third-party websites are one of the most reliable ways to get a site infected. The modified code frequently contains a backdoor, and because the plugin cannot be updated through the official channel, it never receives security fixes either. If a premium plugin is worth installing, it is worth buying from its developer.

⚠️ Updating closes the door — it does not remove an intruder who is already inside

If a vulnerability was exploited before you updated, the update fixes the vulnerability but leaves behind whatever was installed through it. A site that has been outdated for a long time should also be scanned for malware, not just updated.

Next Step

→ How to Update WordPress: Step-by-Step Guide

A complete walkthrough of the update process using the WordPress Dashboard: creating a backup first, the order to update in, testing your site afterward, and what to do if something breaks.