WordPress powers 43% of the world’s websites in 2023, or 455 million making it the most popular web platform in the world.
It’s ideal for businesses of all sizes whether you’re working as a solopreneur or you’re an international celebrity or household brand name such as in this selection because it can be adapted over the years relatively easy when compared to other platforms.
However, with every website regardless of the platform there is some type of maintenance. If you’re paying a subscription it’s possibly covered within that, if you’ve got WordPress you’re either managing it in-house or you can arrange for a third party to update it for you. Whatever setup you have though, the website needs ongoing attention and updates and in today’s post we’re looking at 9 reasons you need to regularly update your WordPress website.
Security
Regular updates will ensure that your WordPress website is protected from security vulnerabilities and potential hacking attempts which at best can prove an inconvenience, at worst your site is taken over by a third party, customer and company data is compromised and potential customers don’t make a purchase as they’re unable to buy or navigate your website.
Improved Functionality
Updating WordPress, themes, and plugins ensures that they work together seamlessly, which improves the overall functionality of your website. If for example your website was built several years ago, even your social media links are likely out of date and with upcoming changes to Google Analytics, there’s attention required so that you can monitor what’s happening on your website.
Bug Fixes
WordPress updates to plugins address any known bugs or issues, improving the website’s performance and preventing potential errors. If there’s been something not working as it should, it’s quite likely an issue that has been resolved since you last updated your website.
Compatibility
With updates to your themes and plugins, you’re ensuring that your website is compatible with the latest version of WordPress which is forever improving, you could be losing out on a more user-friendly interface.
Improved Speed
Updating plugins and themes can improve the speed and performance of your website, providing a better user experience for your visitors. Think about any site you’ve visited where you found yourself frustrated? Those are your potential customers when yours isn’t performing as it could…
New Features
Regular updates can provide new features and functionalities to your website, which can help you stay ahead of your competitors, something that is even more important in today’s world with increasing numbers of businesses trading online in recent years.
SEO Benefits
Regular updates to your website’s content, including images, blog posts, opening times, products and services, can improve your search engine rankings and help potential customers find your business.
Better User Experience
With regular updates you can improve the user experience of your website, making it easier for visitors to navigate and find the information they need so that they can ultimately buy from you.
Long-Term Cost Savings
Like any form of ongoing management and maintenance, regular updates can prevent potential issues and errors that could lead to costly website downtime or repairs, saving you time and money in the long run.
So, what can you do?
If you’re not sure when your website was last updated, you don’t have a solid plan or there are issues happening on your website that aren’t supposed to, we strongly recommend that you have your website audited/reviewed.
There may be a quick fix, not everybody needs a new look website on an ongoing basis. However, if it doesn’t reflect where your business is at in 2023 or you discover it’s not displaying comfortably on a smaller screen at a time when most sites have a larger proportion of traffic from mobile devices, or the person initially trained to update the site has moved on and you’re not quite sure what you’re doing, it’s time for you to look at your options.
At The Marketing Shop, we design WordPress websites and work with specialists in areas like optimisation and maintenance so we’ve got the team you need to take care of your web presence.
Schedule a call at this link or pop an email to debbie@themarketingshop.ie and we’ll help you determine whether it’s a mini-makeover, a service of all those essentials we listed above, or a new look for the year ahead that you need. If you’re interested in schemes such as the Trading Online Voucher we can assist you with this also.
And, if the website is working perfectly well and you’re on top of your management of it yet not getting the traffic you’d like, at The Marketing Shop we support businesses with Marketing, Social Media, Canva and WordPress with partners in areas such as SEO and privacy so we’re well-placed to take care of the requirements of your business.
Debbie Ringwood is a Marketing Specialist with over 20 years of experience in B2B and B2C Marketing. She is a Graduate of the Marketing Institute of Ireland and the Digital Marketing Institute. She is a Canva Community Canvassador, Linkedin Certified Marketing Insider and META Certified Community Manager..
Debbie supports, coaches, and trains businesses in Marketing, Social Media, Canva & WordPress along with her team, working with businesses at different stages of their journey.