As your Web Designers, chances are: we are also your Web Hosts. The World Wide Web is a constantly evolving entity; and as such, needs regular upkeep. This is partly to ensure compatibility with technological advances, but also in reaction to increases in threats to security. Outlined below are the four main areas we update for clients.

WordPress Themes

WordPress websites are built on a Theme and contain numerous add-ons known as Plugins. Unless specified, annual Web Hosting costs do not include Theme updates.

All WordPress Themes need updates from time to time. These updates are to keep the website inline with updates to Browsers (Chrome / Firefox etc) and various other things which change / improve across the web, and ensure the smooth running of the website.

The top WordPress Themes are updated on a regular basis. When the Theme’s original Author releases an update, they are typically:

• (Code) Updates
• Code/ visual Improvements
• Bug-Fixes
• Additions / extra features
• Plugins – Security and stability.

We don’t normally bore clients with each individual update, but your Change-log is always available, if you wanted to see which bits were getting updated. During the first few months of a Website Design: we tend to swallow these costs as part of the website build and quote.

After the build, there will be minimal costs for these updates.

WordPress Plugins

As an open-source environment, WordPress is constantly evolving. Due to it’s popularity, any extra features (such as contact forms and image sliders) a Website might need, can be fulfilled using Plugins. Some of the most popular ones are used by millions of websites across the globe.

Much like Themes, Plugins regularly need updating. Normally, these are improvements and bug-fixes, but Plugins which aren’t updated are a security risk, and one of the most common routes in which hackers can attack a website.

Plugin updates will incur minimal costs, which we will try to keep as low as possible.

From time to time: a Plugin may become corrupt, we reserve the right to charge a minimum fee to rectify Plugins on these occasions.

Clients can request to update their own Plugins; but this must be kept up, as we cannot be held responsible if a website experiences issues due to a lack of clients’ upkeep.

WordPress Core

WordPress itself also needs updating. These are the core files which make up the back-end of your website. In other words: the Dashboard itself – which you log in to, to update your site. This includes improvements and new features such as the Guttenberg page editor, but also security related updates.

Most of the time, we can swallow the costs of costs of the many minor WordPress core updates; major core updates will incur minimal charges however.

PHP version

PHP is the scripting language in which WordPress websites are written in. Around 80% of websites which use a server-side programming language are written in PHP. The most common reasons for PHP updates are:

• Performance
• Security
• Speed
• Support

Every PHP update means a faster and more secure website. Advances in technology mean faster loading times (for websites that keep up with PHP version updates) …resulting is higher Search Engine rankings, which in turn results in more customers, happier customers, and more profit.

According to wordpress.org:

There are two main benefits to keeping PHP up-to-date:

Your website will be faster as the latest version of PHP is more efficient. Updating to the latest supported version (currently 7.3) can deliver a huge performance increase; up to 3 or 4x faster for older versions.

Your website will be more secure. PHP, like WordPress, is maintained by its community. Because PHP is so popular, it is a target for hackers – but the latest version will have the latest security features. Older versions of PHP do not have this, so updating is essential to keep your WordPress site secure.

And then there are a number of secondary benefits:

A faster WordPress website will be rewarded by search engines, so you’ll rank higher in search! A faster website will retain visitors better (they’ll leave if it takes too long to load), making your website more effective.

A more secure website is better protected against hackers, and the cost and reputational damage associated with a hacked website.

PHP updates incur minimal charges. You won’t be charged if we have to change your PHP version back, due to a conflict.

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If a website contains a bug / error, chances are that it requires at least one of the above updates. Any specific (software) bugs not fixed and logged on a Theme’s Change-log can be sent as a request, so this can be included and debugged in the next update’s fixes and improvements.

Speak to us if you’d like to pay an ‘all-inclusive‘ yearly / monthly rate for the updates outlined above. The figure will reflect your particular website, but will be a saving overall – due to less admin and fewer invoices.

Clients retain the right to opt-out of any of the above updates, but we strongly advise against it, as this may jeopardise the quality, compatibility and stability of your website, and your brand and company’s reputation.