Things to Consider Before you Update any WordPress Plugin

If you are about to update any WordPress plugin, then consider these factors which will help you to safely update WordPress Plugins and protect WordPress installation on your website or blog. In some cases updating plugins will result in breaking of theme files due to some compatibility issues. Here are some important things you need to consider before clicking on “Update Now” button, lets see one-by-one.

Check before you Update any WordPress Plugin

It is always important to check the compatibility of WordPress plugins before installing or updating them. If you are working on a client website, then proper care should be taken while handling things related to updates. As a professional, its quite necessary to fix to the basics and hence some factors need to be considered before you update any plugin.

1. Check Changelog

Before updating any WordPress plugin, it is recommended to check the changelog. A list of changeovers will be listed there and it helps to get the info on fixed bugs, added features etc. Screenshot above is of Yoast SEO Plugin, in which a bug has been immediately fixed by releasing an alpha version.

2. User Votes

Compatibility issues can be easily identified by checking the votes submitted by users. WordPress got such an awesome community and users will submit their votes on official plugin page. If the status is negative i.e, many users vote it as “Broken”, then dont update that plugin and wait for another release. If that plugin is not updated over a long period of time, then look for alternatives instead of using the same.

3. Note from Author

This is just a minor factor and almost every plugin author will check the compatibility with new version of WordPress. A message will be displayed along with version details and it helps to confirm things. In-case, if any other messages like “may be compatible” or “not tested” etc are displayed, then dont update that plugin.

4. Test before Updating

This is simple and recommended method, which is really handy to test plugins. If you have already got a WordPress test or dummy site, then install that plugin which you are going to update on it. Now, test the working of the plugin and if everything is ok you can proceed with the update.

5. Support Forums

Support Forums for WordPress Plugin are recently introduced at Official Repository. users can post their questions or queries regarding the plugin and can get possible solutions from the author or contributing members. Check if there are any questions regarding compatibility issues, before updating the plugin.

These are just basic things that can help you to safely update WordPress plugins and apart from these if you know any other factors, please do consider sharing it here.