How to Update WordPress Safely

WordPress updates can feel like a gamble. You click “Update,” hold your breath, and hope nothing breaks. If you’ve ever had a site go blank after an update — you know exactly what I mean.

The good news: with a few simple steps, updates don’t have to be scary. This guide walks you through how to update WordPress safely, even if you’re not a developer.

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Why WordPress Updates Matter

WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. That popularity makes it a constant target for hackers. Most WordPress security vulnerabilities are discovered and patched through official updates — which means skipping updates leaves your site exposed.

Beyond security, updates bring:

• Bug fixes that improve stability
• Performance improvements that make your site faster
• New features in themes and plugins
• Compatibility between WordPress core, plugins, and PHP

Ignoring updates for months is one of the most common reasons sites get hacked or break unexpectedly.

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The Golden Rule: Always Backup First

Before you touch a single update button, back up your site. Every time. No exceptions.

A backup means that if something goes wrong, you can restore your site to exactly how it was — in minutes.

What a complete backup includes:

• Your database (all posts, pages, settings, orders)
• All files (themes, plugins, uploaded images)

Free backup options:

• UpdraftPlus — most popular free backup plugin, stores backups in Google Drive or Dropbox
• Duplicator — good for full site copies
• Your hosting control panel (many hosts like Hostinger, SiteGround, or Cloudways offer one-click backups)

Tip: Store backups somewhere outside your server — Google Drive, Dropbox, or your own computer. A backup on the same server doesn’t help if the server goes down.

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Step-by-Step: How to Update WordPress Safely

Step 1 — Back up your site

Do this before anything else. Even if you updated fine last week.

Step 2 — Check what needs updating

Go to your WordPress dashboard → Dashboard → Updates. You’ll see:

• WordPress core version
• Plugins that need updating
• Themes that need updating

Don’t update everything at once if you have a lot of updates pending. Do it in groups.

Step 3 — Update plugins first

Plugins are the most common cause of post-update issues. Update them one by one or in small batches, and check your site after each update.

After each plugin update, quickly visit:

• Your homepage
• A few inner pages
• Your contact form
• Checkout page (if you have a WooCommerce store)

Step 4 — Update your theme

If you use a premium theme (Divi, Avada, Astra, etc.), update it after your plugins. Check the theme changelog first — major theme updates sometimes require extra attention.

Warning: If you’ve made direct edits to your theme files, a theme update will overwrite those changes. Always use a child theme for customizations.

Step 5 — Update WordPress core

Once plugins and theme are updated and everything looks good, update WordPress core. This is usually the most stable part of the process.

Step 6 — Check your site thoroughly

After all updates, visit your site as a regular visitor (not logged in). Test:

• Homepage loads correctly
• Images display properly
• Navigation menu works
• Contact form submits
• If WooCommerce — add a product to cart and reach checkout

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What to Do If Something Breaks

Despite best efforts, sometimes things go wrong. Here’s what to do:

1. Don’t panic. This is fixable.

2. Restore your backup. If you backed up before updating, you can restore your site to the previous working state immediately.

3. Identify the culprit. Usually it’s a plugin conflict. Deactivate all plugins, then reactivate them one by one until you find which one causes the issue.

4. Check for error messages. A white screen or “critical error” email from WordPress usually points to a specific plugin or theme.

5. Contact your hosting support. Many hosts can restore a recent backup for you.

If you’re not comfortable troubleshooting on your own — that’s exactly what a WordPress maintenance service is for.

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Things That Make Updates Risky (And How to Avoid Them)

Risk	Why It Happens	How to Avoid
White screen after update	Plugin conflict with new WP version	Update plugins one at a time
Layout breaks	Theme incompatible with updated plugin	Check theme changelog before updating
Forms stop working	Contact form plugin update with breaking change	Test forms after every update
WooCommerce checkout breaks	WooCommerce major update	Read WooCommerce release notes first
Site speed drops	Poorly coded plugin update	Monitor speed with PageSpeed Insights before and after

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Should You Enable Automatic Updates?

WordPress can update itself automatically. Sounds convenient — but for most business sites, automatic updates are risky.

What’s usually safe to auto-update:

• Minor WordPress core updates (e.g. 6.5.1 → 6.5.2) — these are security patches only

What’s better to update manually:

• Major WordPress core updates (e.g. 6.5 → 6.6)
• Plugins, especially WooCommerce, page builders, and SEO plugins
• Your active theme

Automatic plugin updates can silently break your site overnight — with no one noticing until a customer calls.

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How Often Should You Update WordPress?

Recommended schedule:

• Weekly — check for and apply plugin updates
• Monthly — update WordPress core and theme, review full site after
• Immediately — apply any security patches (WordPress marks these as urgent)

Consistency matters more than frequency. A site that’s updated regularly is much easier to maintain than one that hasn’t been touched in 8 months.

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When to Hand Updates Off to a Professional

Updating WordPress yourself is completely doable for simple sites. But consider getting professional help if your site:

• Runs a WooCommerce store — a broken checkout means lost sales every minute
• Has a lot of customization — custom code, custom plugins, or heavy theme modifications
• Uses a page builder (Divi, Elementor, WPBakery) — these are notoriously prone to update conflicts
• Generates business leads — any downtime directly costs you money
• Hasn’t been updated in over 6 months — catching up on a backlog of updates needs careful handling

A professional handles updates on a staging environment first, checks compatibility, and only pushes changes live when everything is confirmed working.

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The Real Cost of Skipping Updates

Many site owners avoid updates because they’re afraid of breaking something. But ignoring updates creates bigger problems:

• Hacked sites are far more expensive to clean up than to prevent
• Outdated plugins are the #1 entry point for WordPress malware
• Accumulated updates become harder and riskier to apply the longer you wait
• Hosting providers may flag or suspend sites running severely outdated WordPress versions

One hacked site can mean lost data, Google blacklisting your domain, and weeks of cleanup.

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Summary: WordPress Update Checklist

Before updating:

• Back up database and files
• Note current WordPress, plugin, and theme versions

During updating:

• Update plugins first (one by one or in small batches)
• Check site after each batch
• Update theme
• Update WordPress core

After updating:

• Visit site as a visitor (not logged in)
• Test all key pages and forms
• Check site speed
• Check WooCommerce checkout if applicable

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Need Help Keeping Your WordPress Site Updated?

If managing updates feels like too much to keep up with — or if you’ve already run into a problem — I can help.

I offer WordPress Maintenance that covers regular updates, backups, and monitoring so your site stays secure and working without you having to worry about it.

Running into an issue right now? Check out Fix WordPress Bugs — I troubleshoot and fix WordPress problems quickly, including broken sites after a bad update.

And if your site is slow, outdated, or you’re ready for something more robust — I also handle Speed Optimization and full migrations from WordPress to Next.js.

Questions? Get in touch — I reply by email.

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Written by Vlad Lykhenko — WordPress developer since 2016, helping business owners keep their sites fast, secure, and running smoothly.