Have you heard the buzz about Gutenburg? This WordPress platform upgrade has been a long time coming, and the WordPress 5.0 update is finally here! While we’re beyond excited to see some improved editing capabilities, this update is not without its strings. There are a few things you need to know if your website is running on the WordPress platform.
Let’s start with the less than savory news. WordPress5.0 is a huge overhaul of the traditional versions and will mean big changes to any and all websites. You will be prompted to update as soon as you log into your dashboard, but proceed with caution. The open source nature of the WordPress platform allows for a lot of innovation with different developers for fancy, unique, and customized plugins, but that also means you are dependent on those developers to keep their plugins up to date. If you aren’t confident that all of your essential plugins are ready for 5.0, then reach out to the developer first to confirm. If you don’t, essential elements of your site could crash or cease to work one you update.
That being said, many templates are built specifically for you and your business, or perhaps you started with a lesser known template that isn’t being regularly updated. There is no guarantee that this template will function with the new WordPress 5.0 – you are dependent on the designer and/or developer to make sure that your template is functional with the new system.
If you feel that your template/design and your plugins are all bona fide and regularly updated, then perhaps you’ll want to take the leap into 5.0. We remind you to always make a backup before proceeding, in case the worst should happen. And in all honesty, you should be making regular backups to your website frequently already.
Now to the good news! This update comes with more intuitive designs and the Gutenburg editor, which will mean more advanced capabilities for future WordPress sites. The dashboard will be easier to navigate and WordPress sites should in general have more innovative competencies as we move forward with web design.
In general, we caution you to tread lightly as you make the decision of whether to update or not. This transition will be a little messy and complicated, and it could take some time to iron out all the kinks as we move forward. If you are hosting your website with us here at EZY Marketing – we will continue doing security updates to your site. If you’re unsure, you can always give us a call. We’re taking all the necessary steps to safeguard your site.
If you want more info on how to keep your site secure during this process, check out this in-depth blog by our favorite security plugin for WordPress – WordFence – at this link.