Would you like to learn how to update the WordPress plugins safely ?
Plugins are one of the most useful aspects of WordPress. After all, you can use them to add all sorts of new features to your website. However, if you do not set the parameters correctly WordPress plugins, you risk having software errors and conflicts, and you even risk compromising the security of your website.
Fortunately, keeping your plugins up to date is not difficult, and this tutorial will walk you through how to do it safely and in three easy steps. Before that, however, we'll talk about why you should update your plugins and provide you with some key tips to help you streamline the process.
But before, if you have never installed WordPress discover How to Install a WordPress Blog in 7 Steps et How to search, install and activate a WordPress theme on your blog
Then back to why we are here.
Why is it essential to keep your plugins up to date?
Plugins are an inherent feature of WordPress, and it's easy to find and install the ones you want. However, that doesn't mean that you should forget about them after activation. Many plugins receive regular updates, and you'll need to make sure you've installed the latest versions if you want your website to run smoothly.
See also How to force WordPress to check for plugin updates
Here are some of the reasons why it is important to update the WordPress plugins :
Outdated WordPress plugins may experience compatibility issues with the WordPress core and with other themes and plugins.
See also: The 35 best WordPress plugins of the year 2020
Newer versions of a plugin often fix issues or issues that were present in the old version. Alternatively, they can provide new functionality.
Keeping your WordPress plugins up to date is vital to ensuring the security of your website.
Of course, your plugins will not be updated automatically unless you enable this (we'll come back to this). Fortunately, checking for and installing updates is relatively straightforward.
However, before you get started, there are some general tips you should keep in mind.
What to remember about plugin updates
Just because it's easy to update WordPress plugins doesn't mean that nothing bad can happen during this process. If you want to protect your website and make sure everything runs smoothly, there are some general guidelines you need to follow.
Just follow these best practices to make sure your updates don't cause any problems:
Save your website before you start. A new update may be poorly coded or cause conflicts with the kernel, plugins and WordPress themes. The risk of an update error is quite low, but you should always have a backup so you can roll back to the old version when needed.
See also our list of 7 WordPress plugins to save your website / Blog
Update one plugin at a time. If you have a lot of plugins, it can be tempting to update them all at the same time. WordPress lets you do it, and we'll explain how, in the next section.
5 popular WordPress plugins on CodeCanyon to discover absolutely.
However, unless you are confident in the reliability of your plugins, it is best to update them individually. That way, if something goes wrong, you'll know which plugin is causing the problem.
Test updates on a test website - usually locally -. If you don't already have a website test in local now is the time to configure a backup. This way you can make sure that the updates are working properly before installing them on your website.
See also our guide on How to install WordPress locally on a PC / Windows with XAMPP
Think about this carefully before setting up plugins to update automatically. Enabling your plugins for automatic update saves you time, but only do so for trusted plugins.
Also read our guide on: How to control the stock of your WooCommerce online store
Perform off-peak updates. In the event that your updates may end up causing a problem, it is best to schedule them at a time when your website traffic is low. This way, you will impact as few visitors as possible.
Consider waiting to install new updates. Some bugs and conflicts don't become apparent until an update is released to the public. You might have to wait a week before installing low priority updates, until the developers have had time to fix all the issues.
A few plugins to choose from to create tables on WordPress to consult also
Monitor the plugin's forum if possible to see if other users are having issues with the new version. However, if it is a security update, it is best to install it immediately.
Finally, it's a good time to note that you need to keep an eye on how often your key plugins are updated.. If you are using plugins that have not been touched by the developers for a long time, they are more likely to cause conflicts or become vulnerable to security threats.
Contacting the developer to see if an update is on the horizon is a good first step. However, you may also need to look for a replacement.
How to update plugins safely
Now that you know how to prepare ahead of time, let's explore the process of actually performing a WordPress plugin update. At first, you need to make sure that WordPress is fully updated, as most developers design their updates to work best with the latest version of the platform.
Also read our tutorial on: How to find non-active users on WordPress
Then, it's time to check if there are any plugins to update. If there is, you should see a red notification on the dashboard menu or on the plugins menus.
You can visit the tab " Plugins To see the list of potential updates. Here you will see their names and other relevant information related to the update. Before performing the updates, it is a good idea to click on View version details next to each plugin and examine the changelog.
Also discover our guide on: What does a WordPress blog need to succeed?
This way you will know exactly what the developers have fixed or changed, and you will remember any potential conflicts:
At this point, you're finally ready to update! Just click on the " Update now Next to each plugin and wait a few moments for WordPress to install the new version.
To discover also: 9 WordPress plugins to block users on your blog
Once the installation is complete, you should see a green notification informing you that the plugin has been updated successfully. Alternatively, you can check the boxes next to each plugin and select the option " Enable From the drop-down list at the top of the screen to update more than one plugin at a time.
Your newly updated plugins are now ready! However, if something is not working properly, you will still be able to restore your website from the previous backup.
Discover also some premium WordPress plugins
You can use other WordPress plugins to give a modern look and optimize the grip of your blog or website.
We offer you here some premium WordPress plugins that will help you do that.
1. W3 Total Cache
W3 Total Cache is one of the most popular WordPress caching plugins. It's a full featured WordPress caching plugin with a ton of options that can make it a little intimidating for newbies.
It offers all the features needed to properly configure the WordPress cache. Which includes page cache, object cache, gzip compression, limited minification support, support for CDNEtc. ...
Beginners may find it difficult to use W3 Total Cache. For detailed configuration instructions, see our article on W3 Total Cache plug-in installation and configuration procedure.
Download | Demo | Web hosting
2. WP Pro Forum System
WP Pro Forum system is a premium WordPress plugin that lets you add a beautiful and user-friendly forum to your website. It has plenty of powerful features that allow it to create a forum with a professional look.
The forum is created to run on the public interface of your website, but administrators can manage all forums, topics, answers, categories, and labels from the dashboard.
See our article on How to find them no response on WordPress
In addition, WP Pro Forum system has certain advantages such as functional translation thanks to mo / .po files included, the integration of many models to suit the look of your website or even custom filters included.
Download | Demo | Web hosting
3. Essential Grid
Essential Grid is a premium plugin of WordPress which allows you to display different content formats on a highly customizable grid. The possible applications of this plugin are portfolios, blogs, galleries, WooCommerce online stores, price lists, services, product sliders, and many more.
Its features are: super easy to use for beginners, management of rows / columns / spacings adjustable as you wish, support for images, YouTube and Vimeo videos, iFrame content, various types of entertainment and preloads, responsive and compatible with mobiles, layouts in wide shot, crop shot, or full screen and many more.
Download | Demo | Web hosting
Other recommended resources
We also invite you to consult the resources below to go further in the grip and control of your website and blog.
- How to appreciate the quality of a free WordPress plugin
- 10 WordPress plugins to create a newsletter
- 7 WordPress plugins to evaluate blog comments
- 8 WordPress plugins for those who wish to advertise
Conclusion
Here is ! That's it for this tutorial. We hope it will allow you to do easily updates of your plugins ..
However, you will also be able to consult our resources, if you need more elements to carry out your projects of creation of Internet sites, by consulting our guide on the WordPress blog creation or the one on Divi: the best WordPress theme of all time.
If you have some Comments or suggestions, do not hesitate to let us know in the reserved section But in the meantime, share this article on your different social networks.
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