So, your site is live and you are trained on how to do your updates. Now what? Is there anything you need Pin Oak to do for you? Maybe, maybe not. Some clients have busy schedules and want to just focus on their businesses and not on the every day site updates.

So, we have 2 options available as options – WordPress Plugins and Core Updates or Monthly Support. Please note that these options are either/or. If you have the monthly support, you do not need the WP Plugins and Core Updates as it would be included.

WordPress Plugins and Core Updates

WordPress is the content management system (CMS) that your website is run on. We used plugins to make certain things work on the site. Both WordPress and all of the plugins have regular updates to plug security holes and to add new features. When these updates come through, they need to be updated within the admin pretty quickly.

How hard is it to do WordPress and Core updates?

Not hard at all. When you log in, you will see a notice at the top of the core updates. All you have to do is click on the update link, follow the instructions and let it update. Same with the plugins. You will see a red circle with a number in it on the left in the plugins section to indicate there are updates. Just click the update link under the plugin’s name and follow the instructions.

How often do I need to do the WordPress updates?

If you are one that never logs in, you still need to maintain those updates at least monthly.

What happens if you don’t do the WordPress updates?

As some clients can attest to, the site can get hacked and be turned into a porn site quickly or they can add code that links to sites that you don’t want to link to. And, you might never know it.

A few weeks ago, one of my client’s sites did get hacked strictly due to a plugin not being updated in a few months. I had taken a few days off and spent a lot of that time off repairing the site and trying to beat the hackers. They were changing code back as fast as we were fixing it. It took 2 weeks, plus me, a programmer and my server support team to finally get it to a point to where the hackers could not get in.

This can be very expensive for you if we have to go in and do this.

WordPress has automatic updates, won’t that work?

Yes, to some extent. But, we’ve also seen where WordPress updated and a plugin didn’t, so the site breaks. Do not depend on just those automatic updates…always check your site.

I don’t have time to do the WordPress updates, can you?

Based on requests, we will now start offering a service called WP Update Support. With this, we will make sure your site and the plugins are update to date. Details of this service:

• Monthly updates of WordPress and all plugins.
• Checks to make sure site is working and healthy.