Sadly this is still a question I get a couple times a week.
It’s true! People are still rocking WordPress 3.5 and the current stable version is 4.7.5, as of May 16, 2017.
The Short Answer.
Yes!
You should always update WordPress as soon as possible. Especially when the resent update is a Security Release and they, “strongly encourage you to update your sites immediately”.
If you’re ready to update, here is a quick video showing you how.
The Longer Answer.
I recently wrote about hacked WordPress websites and how the most common cause for these hacks are due to out of date software.
And that goes for WordPress core, your plugins, and even your themes.
If you take no other security measures please, please, update WordPress, plugins, and themes.
Outside of this being a security risk, the newer versions of WordPress bring with them new features/functionality, updated UI, and improved performance, to name a few.
FAQs:
Can updating break my site?
Yes.
Typically, if you update WordPress and your site breaks, or you get a white screen of death, it’s likely a conflict issue with a plugin or theme that also needs to be updated.
My recommendation is to always update plugins and themes first, then update WordPress core. If you get locked out of your site because of an update that broke something, you won’t be able to run those other updates..
The link above will provide you with instructions on getting access to your site if you do get locked out.
Should I backup my site before updating?
Yes.
If something breaks and it’s not easily fixed, you’ll want to be able to easily restore your site to pre-update status.
My recommendation is to use my WordPress Website Maintenance service so you don’t have to worry about these things. However, in the event you rather do it yourself, use ManageWP for managing your site.
Is there a service that will do these updates for me?
Yes!
This is a service I offer my Maintenance and Support customers. Every month I monitor and perform tasks such as updating your website. If you, for some strange reason, would prefer me to do this just one time, you can order a One Time Fix to have me update your site.
Any other questions?
Use the comments below or send your inquires via the contact page.