WordPress updates: who does them, backups first, and when an update fails
On Website Care, Oogle applies WordPress, plugin and theme updates and checks your site afterwards, so you don't need to. If you update something yourself and the site breaks, stop, note what you updated, and open a Website Support ticket.
Applies to: WordPress
On this page
If your website is on Website Care, Oogle applies WordPress updates for you and checks the site afterwards. That covers WordPress itself, your plugins and your theme. You don't need to click Update in WordPress. If you do update something yourself and the site breaks, stop, write down what you updated, and open a Website Support ticket.
What gets updated
WordPress sites have three kinds of software, and each gets its own updates:
- WordPress core: the main software. Minor releases (for example 6.8.1 to 6.8.2) are mostly fixes. Major releases (6.8 to 6.9) add features and change more.
- Plugins: add-ons such as forms, shop, SEO or page builders. Most security fixes arrive as plugin updates.
- Themes: control how the site looks. A theme update can change the design, especially if the theme was edited directly.
A plugin bought from a company outside WordPress.org often needs a valid license to receive updates. If you know a license has lapsed or changed hands, tell us.
How updates work on Website Care
Updates are part of the service, so you don't need to ask for them. We apply the updates available for your site, then check the site afterwards. If there's a part of the site that matters most to you, such as a booking form or a shop checkout, tell us, so we know what to look at closely.
Bigger changes are different. A major WordPress version, a new page builder, a theme change or a plugin that changes how the site works can need more than an update. If it's more than routine care, we'll quote it before starting.
A backup comes first
Before a big change, you want a copy of the site you can go back to. On Website Care, backups are taken on the schedule we confirmed with you in writing when the service started. If an update goes wrong, a backup is how the site can be put back as it was.
Backups don't replace your own copies of anything critical, such as order records or files that exist nowhere else. Keep your own copy of those too.
If an update fails
You might see one of these:
- "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute." An update was interrupted partway. Wait a few minutes and reload. If the message stays, open a ticket.
- "There has been a critical error on this website." Something the update changed doesn't work with the rest of the site. See Common WordPress errors and what to do.
- "Update failed" in the WordPress updates screen. The update didn't finish. Don't keep retrying.
- A page looks wrong, a form stops sending, or a button does nothing. The update worked, but something on the page doesn't get on with it.
Then:
- Stop updating. Don't update or remove anything else.
- Note what you updated, the version numbers if you can see them, and the time.
- Take a screenshot of the error or the broken page, with the address bar showing.
- Open a Website Support ticket at Support Departments with all of that. If the whole site is down, choose a higher priority.
You'll know updates are working when
WordPress's Updates screen shows nothing waiting, and your site and its forms work as usual.
Troubleshooting
- You keep seeing update notices. New releases come out often. A notice doesn't mean the site has been missed; ask if something has been waiting a while.
- A plugin says it can't update. It may need a license, or it may not support your PHP or WordPress version. Tell us which one.
- Something looks different after an update and you don't like it. Tell us what changed. Sometimes a setting brings the old behavior back.
Next steps
- Common WordPress errors and what to do
- Backups and restores: what's kept and how to ask for a restore
- Report a website that's down or broken
Frequently asked questions
Should I click "Update now" when I see it in WordPress?
On Website Care you don't need to: we apply updates and check the site afterwards. A notice can appear before we've reached it. If an update is urgent for you, ask in a ticket.
Why not turn on automatic updates for everything?
Automatic updates run with nobody watching. Most go fine, but when one breaks a page or a form, nobody notices until a visitor does. Applying updates and then checking the site catches that.
Can I add a new plugin myself?
If your account allows it, yes, but a new plugin is a change to the site like any other. Tell us what you've added, or ask us first, so we include it in updates and checks.
An update notice says a plugin has a security fix. Is my site at risk?
Tell us in a ticket which plugin and what the notice says. We'll look at whether it affects your site.