Reasons You Should Do a Regular WordPress Check-Up

Introduction to WordPress Maintenance

Admit it, you do treat your WordPress installation as a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing, don’t you?

Almost everybody does.

Literally, the only two things we usually do with a WordPress site once it’s up and running is: (1) publish new content, (2) update the plugins and the WordPress core itself (here at Pagely, Plugins and Core are updated for you). But that’s pretty much it.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the best approach out there. Here’s why you should start performing a regular WordPress check-up, and how to keep your site healthy, optimized, and safe over the long haul.

Keep Your Plugins Up-to-Date

Make sure the plugins haven’t gone terribly out of date

You wouldn’t install an outdated plugin, would you? I’m talking about the ones with this badge:

out-of-date

WordPress is constantly evolving, and if you want to use it to its fullest potential, you simply can’t mess things up with old plugins. Similarly to how you wouldn’t put old tires on a new car.

Having an old plugin that isn’t optimized to work with the current versions of WordPress can be a possible security breach point or a bottleneck in your site’s performance.

To prevent this, you can do the following:

Make sure that your plugins are compatible either with the version of WordPress that you’re using, or at least with a version that’s close to it. Each plugin displays this piece of info on the official plugin page at WordPress.org – labeled “Compatible up to.” So for example, if you’re on 4.1, and the plugin compatibility says 3.5.9, it’s probably too far for comfort. Do this check whenever you update to a new major version of WordPress.

This simple compatibility check can save you from numerous headaches down the line by ensuring your site remains secure and efficient.

Check if the plugins have been updated within the last year. Do this every six months.

What if a plugin doesn’t pass the test? Let me just say that no plugin is irreplaceable. There’s so much stuff out there, that you’ll always find something of similar functionality that’s more up-to-date.

Opt for Plugins over Manual Code

Replace manual code tweaks with plugins

This sort of point of view doesn’t sit well with some people, but in general, I advise to not implement some code-based tweaks that can go out of date overnight.

For example, if you have email newsletter integration on your site – like many do – placing a subscription form embed code by hand isn’t the best long-term solution.

Those email marketing tools are very lively, so to avoid any sudden trouble it’s best to just grab their official WordPress plugins. So for instance, if you’re with GetResponse, they have a plugin simply called GetResponse Integration. Other platforms have similar ones.

It’s important to prioritize the use of plugins for functionality over manual code to ensure that your site remains adaptable and maintainable, especially as technologies and third-party services evolve.

Try looking for quality and official plugins every couple of months. Do this for every external solution that you have integrated with your site.

Ensure Your Backups are Reliable

Check your backups

This is something I learned the hard way back at the university … your backups are only as good as they are not corrupted.

Having to restore your site is a stressful enough experience, but finding out that your backups don’t work is even worse.

So make sure to go to your backup solution (whatever it might be) every couple of months and download the three last backups. Extract them and see if the files are okay.

Implementing a regular schedule to check your backups ensures that you’re always prepared for the unexpected. Quick tip: Consider using cloud storage solutions as part of your backup strategy for added security and accessibility.

Database Optimization for Better Performance

Optimize your database

As great as it is, the standard MySQL database tends to get messy over time. There’s just a lot of data operations going on inside WordPress every hour, and not all of those operations will produce clean results.

So let’s do some spring cleaning by optimizing the database every year. This can be done with a plugin like WP-Optimize.

Database optimization is crucial for maintaining the speed and efficiency of your WordPress site. A well-optimized database ensures faster load times, which can significantly improve the overall user experience.

Conclusion and Invitation for Community Input

What else is there?

Do you have any methods of your own in terms of doing a WordPress check-up? Feel free to share.

By keeping these points in mind and routinely checking your WordPress site, you can ensure it runs smoothly, remains secure, and provides a better experience for your visitors. Remember, a little maintenance goes a long way in the digital world!