If you update WordPress yourself, it is best to proceed in this order:
- Backup create (Yes, must be)
- Update all necessary plugins now.
- Website check
- Create a backup (because it's so much fun)
- Update the WordPress basic system.
- Check website
- Backup (And the baking beast greets you daily)
- Last but not least, update the theme if necessary.
- Check website
- Closing time! (Tell us about your success)
Why the order "Plugins -> WordPress -> Themes"?
The most common WordPress plugins are adapted to a new WordPress version very quickly. If you update the plugins first (or "update" as the experts say), you ensure that they work after the WordPress update. Conversely, if you update the base system first, it can happen that a plugin causes the entire site not to run or to run incorrectly and you can no longer do anything.
An example: The "Post Duplicator" plugin (which can be used to duplicate posts, etc.) in version 2.20 causes a JavaScript error to occur when updating to WordPress 5.5. This means, for example, that you can no longer select everything or that buttons no longer work. Version 2.21 fixes the error, so first update the plugin, then the WordPress version.
In addition, almost all plugins are backwards compatible. This means that they also run flawlessly on an older WordPress version. Of course, exceptions prove the rule and there are limits to how far back you can go, but we are not yet aware of any well-maintained plugins that only work on the latest WordPress version.
Themes are actually like plugins, but they come last for us because experience has shown them to be the most unpredictable. Style specifications are often modified here, which may not render the website inoperable, but can destroy the design. These cases are rare, but when they do occur, we have to invest some time and make manual improvements, as the error sources are often indirect via cascades and not so easy to identify. If necessary, simply revert to the old theme and work your way forward step by step in a test environment. Incidentally, Murphy's Law applies very well here: this type of error only occurs when you are in a hurry or the weekend is just around the corner.
Conclusion: Always bring enough time, make all backups then the update will work without errors right away 😉
And if you're not in the mood for this rather dry stuff, then ask us - we're up for it!
Backup:
Create a database backup and a backup of the folder structure. Life time is too precious to waste on WordPress repairs.
Moving on...
Check:
Check whether the website is still working as usual. If time is short: Randomly check your most important pages (listed in the analysis) and the pages where visitors can interact with you (contact form, chats, store pages, etc.).
Moving on...
If something no longer works as usual, then ... just get in touch with us and we'll fix it 🙂