Introduction
A new version of WordPress, “Misha” 6.1, was released on 1 November. The WordPress framework is now so popular that it is running 43% of websites across the globe, and there are regular updates.
WordPress’ position as the number 1 CMS and number 1 framework makes it a primary target for hackers. Therefore, if your website uses WordPress, it makes very good sense to keep it updated, especially when there are security fixes.
However, there are other good reasons for updating to the latest version – faster performance, new features and fixes for code errors.
Misha is about Performance Improvements
This latest version provides major performance, development, and accessibility enhancements. Various optimizations are included into 19 components of WordPress.
The most notable improvements are caching queries for WP_Query, fewer queries on REST API calls, and new Site Health checks. There are also a variety of improvements to the existing blocks and the new Table of Contents block.
You can read more details that WordPress have to say about it here – https://wordpress.org/news/2022/11/misha/
How to update WordPress
DIY – a quick outline
It is relatively easy to update your WordPress website.
- You log into your WordPress backend and navigate to the updates page.
- Then you click on whatever needs updating – core files, themes, plugins.
- Usually it takes less than 10 minutes.
- It is something to consider doing once or twice a month.
- Wait until a couple of weeks after the release date (unless it is for a major security issue). Allow others with large budgets time to test the new code and iron out any glitches.
Dangers
There are three important points to bear in mind –
- the possibility of an update failing and corrupting your website files
- the possibility of page caching not updating to the latest content
- the possibility of updated code not working / conflicting with older code
If any of these happen, your website will look a mess and/or stop functioning properly, and this will impact on your business. At the least, it will have a negative effect on your business’ reputation.
Consequences
If you are not prepared, finding a solution could turn into a nightmare. Sometimes you might get lucky if there was only a small corruption of files. Then you can simply click the update button again, and it works the second time round. Other times you suffer hours or even days with your website down and then have to call up a web developer.
Solutions
If you are prepared for potential problems, your update will now take 30+ minutes, and it could be relatively simple.
- For an update failure, you fix it by restoring your web files from backup.
- To avoid extra work, the backup needs to be of the most recent version of the website.
- Then you do the update again.
- If the update completed without a problem, and then you find the website is not displaying properly on the front end, this is either page caching (if you use it) not fully updating, or a conflict between new and old code.
- Page caching is a bit fiddly but still relatively easy to fix.
- You should first check that your browser’s cache is cleared because there might not be a problem at all!
- Then you should ‘flush’ the cache in the backend of WordPress (or elsewhere if you are using a CDN), and then check again in your browser.
- Sometimes you have to flush the cache more than once, but most of the time once is enough.
- If you find it is not page caching, and restoring files from backup also doesn’t work, it is probably an incompatibility of new and old code.
- You can test this by switching off all the plugins and if the problem goes away you know it is one of your plugins or your theme updates.
- This is not possible for you to fix, but you can work around it.
- The solution here is either to go back to an earlier version until the code developer has fixed it,
- Or to find alternative code, eg. try a different plugin with the same functionality.
- In the meantime try to report the problem to the developer – you may get a quick fix.
Help with Updating
We notice that many people don’t make the time to update their website’s code. No doubt this is because they are busy focussing on their core business, and this minor maintenance job is an unwanted distraction and gets put to one side and forgotten.
Updating with Skylime
At Skylime we have specialised in working with WordPress. As part of this, we provide a WordPress UPDATE SERVICE. This includes checking after an update to make sure everything is working, and carrying out a single restore if necessary.
Attributions
“Misha WordPress 6.1” Header Image – WordPress.org