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WordPress: Understand Your Plugins - Episode 111
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

WordPress Plugins; Why Update Them?

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    WordPress is an awesome website builder, but the true power comes from the plugins that extend the core software. One big disadvantage of plugins however is that sometimes developers abandon plugins and no longer update them – this can leave your website exposed to vulnerabilities.

    In this week’s Facebook Live, we tackle the issue of WordPress Plugin Updates; when to do them, how to do them and when to delete them. We also cover why sometimes you may not want to update a plugin.

    We moved to WordPress Web Design exclusively a few years ago. We no longer develop on any platform other than WordPress. What we do is more than just a theme installation, we create themes or page templates for your particular site. Just like plugins, you should only use what you need, and usually a purchased “all-in-one theme” is overkill for most websites.

    Contact us if you need help with plugin updates on websites – we can handle everything from WordPress monthly management, one time updates, website enhancements or a full website rebuild.

    Video Chapters

    Here are some helpful chapter points so you can bounce around the video as needed;

    00:00 Episode 111 – that’s a lot of episodes
    00:40 Facebook has changed their interface again – so frustrating
    02:00 What’s in a new plugin update?
    03:30 Why use WordPress? Why do we use it?
    04:41 You can have anything you want – how many zeros do you want to spend?
    05:27 We have tested HTML vs WordPress. Speed is a big issue in SEO Rankings
    06:08 Plugins allow you to have multiple features and functionality
    07:05 WordPress Core Software vs WordPress Plugins
    07:48 How WordPress works when it comes to plugins (IF, THEN, ELSE)
    09:18 Donate to Plugin Developers!
    10:45 Developers will often include features you request
    12:50 The downside of plugins (exploits and outdated code)
    13:40 Plugin Abandonment is a big issue. Use plugins with recent updates.
    14:55 Use only the plugins you need.
    16:05 Test plugins before the update – generate a staging/development area
    17:37 How Big Red SEO makes updates to plugins
    18:30 Viewer Interaction Break time – Cigars, conversations, and comments!
    20:36 Back to plugins; Backups, Plugin Updates, follow Conor for plugin alerts
    23:11 Shameless plug: We have monthly management services!
    23:57 Uninstall unused plugins, don’t just deactivate them.
    25:30 When you delete some plugins they don’t delete everything

    Join Us Each Week For A New Facebook Live

    Every week, Conor & Kimberly have a Facebook Live that is open to everyone. We usually have a topic pre-planned, but we’re always open to new discussions during the broadcast! 

    If you have a topic that you’d like us to cover, drop us a note and we’ll do our best to get it added to the schedule!

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