John was fast asleep when his phone started buzzing with angry emails at 4am.
His hotel’s website had crashed overnight. The online booking system was offline.
Customers couldn’t make reservations or view their existing bookings. The website was showing a mysterious error message that made his boutique hotel look completely unprofessional.
What happened to create this problem? A simple WordPress update had gone horribly wrong.
John isn’t alone. Every single week, business owners around the world wake up to discover their websites have been taken offline by updates that were supposed to make them safer and add new features.
It’s crucial not to skip WordPress updates, as they contain critical security patches that protect your site from hackers. However, if updates aren’t applied with care, you could break your website and cause reputational damage to your business.
Let’s explore what really happens when WordPress updates go wrong, and how you can safely update your WordPress website.
You shouldn’t skip WordPress updates
WordPress releases updates multiple times per year, containing critical security patches and bug fixes. According to Sucuri’s 2023 report, 39.1% of infected WordPress websites were outdated. In previous years, this figure was as high as 50%, but automatic updates have reduced the number. If you’ve ever experienced a failed update, you’ll understand the pain of a broken website, but they are essential for keeping your website healthy and secure.
Why your website crashes after updating
The most common cause of websites crashing after an update is compatibility issues with installed plugins or themes. In Kaspersky’s WordPress Security Report, 93.25% of WordPress vulnerabilities were found in plugins. So again, it’s vital to keep plugins updated for security purposes. You should also keep an eye on any plugins used, as poorly coded or abandoned plugins are likely to cause update-related crashes.
The cost of a broken website
Research from Carbonite suggests that small businesses lose between $137 – $427 per minute during website downtime. The effect on your business finances will vary depending on your industry, the size of your business, and your business model. It’s not just financial impacts you need to worry about. There are other hidden costs, such as lost customer trust, damage to your reputation, and emergency website repair expenses.
Common update issues and problems
One of the most common issues you’ll see with a broken WordPress website is the ‘white screen of death’. The name might sound dramatic, but visitors will see a blank white screen instead of your beautiful website. Other common issues include broken layouts, contact forms that don’t function, and checkout issues on e-commerce sites.
Updating WordPress safely and professionally
The best way to update your WordPress website safely is to use a staging site. Think of this like a private practice version of your site where you can test changes safely. With a staging site, you’ll apply updates and test to ensure your website is working correctly after the update. For example, you’ll load each page and test any website forms and functionality. Updates are only applied to your live website after they’ve been thoroughly tested on your staging site first. Using a staging site eliminates the risk of your website breaking and causing reputational damage to your business.
How to manage updates
Before performing any updates to your website, you should always ensure you have a recent backup of your website. Have clear documentation of all functionality of your site, such as any contact forms or booking processes. After performing updates, test all critical functions and ensure they’re working as expected. It’s crucial to have a rollback plan in place so that you know how to quickly restore your website from a backup if something goes wrong. You should never perform updates before important business events or during peak traffic times.
The risk of doing everything yourself
While WordPress has spent a long time trying to make updates simple for any level of user, most business owners don’t have the technical expertise to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. If you’re in this situation, you might find it helpful to let professionals assist you. Competent digital agencies have the tools, experience, and time to handle updates safely and fix any issues quickly. When you let someone else manage updates for you, you can focus your attention on running your business, with peace of mind knowing your website is in good hands.