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Why we update your website's software regularly, what we update, and how we make sure updates don't break anything.

Your website runs on software — and that software needs to be updated regularly, just like the apps on your phone. This guide explains what we update, why, and how we do it safely.

Quick summary

We update WordPress core, plugins, and themes on a regular schedule. Every update goes through a backup-first, test-on-staging, then push-to-live process. This keeps your site secure and working without risking your live site.

What "software" means on your website

If your site runs on WordPress, it has three layers of software:

Layer	What it is	Example
WordPress core	The foundation that runs everything	WordPress 7.x
Plugins	Add-ons that power specific features	Contact forms, SEO tools, e-commerce
Theme	Controls the design and layout	Your custom theme or a commercial theme

Each of these is developed by a separate team. Each team releases updates at different times. Keeping all three layers current — and compatible with each other — is an ongoing job.

Compatibility matters

A plugin update can sometimes conflict with another plugin or your theme. That's why we never update everything at once, and why we always test on a staging site first.

Why updates matter

Updates do three things:

Fix security holes. Developers discover vulnerabilities and patch them. Every day you run old software, a known hole stays open.
Fix bugs. Things that were broken or behaving oddly get fixed.
Add improvements. Performance gains, new features, and compatibility with newer technology.

WordPress's own security guidance is blunt about this: the most important thing you can do for your site's security is to keep WordPress, its plugins and its themes up to date. See Why websites need maintenance for more on this.

How we run updates safely

We don't click "update" on your live site and hope for the best. Our process:

Take a full backup. Before any update, we back up your entire site — files and database. If anything goes wrong, we can restore to the exact state it was in before.

Apply updates to a staging site. A staging site is a private copy of your site. We run all updates there first, so your live site is never at risk. See How we test changes before they go live.

Test the staging site. We check your key pages, navigation, forms, and any custom functionality to confirm nothing broke.

Approve and push to live. Once we're confident everything is working, we apply the same updates to your real, live site.

Do a quick live check. We verify the live site looks and works correctly after the update.

How often do we update?

We run routine software updates on a regular schedule — typically weekly or bi-weekly, depending on your care plan. Security-critical patches (urgent fixes for actively exploited vulnerabilities) are applied as soon as possible.

You don't need to request updates. We handle them proactively as part of your care plan.

What about major updates?

Some updates are "major" releases that involve more significant changes. For WordPress, a major release is a change in the first two numbers (7.0 to 7.1, for example), and these usually introduce new features. For a plugin, it might be a jump from version 2 to version 3. These sometimes require extra testing or small compatibility fixes.

We'll let you know before we run a major update if there's anything to be aware of. In some cases we may ask you to review the staging site yourself before we push live.

What if an update breaks something?

This is rare when following our process, but it does occasionally happen. If a staging-site test reveals a problem, we:

Identify the conflicting plugin or theme
Either hold that specific update until the developer releases a fix, or find a compatible alternative
Push only the safe updates to live

If — in the rare case — something slips through to your live site, we restore from the backup we took immediately before the update. The fix is typically fast.

Common questions

Can I update plugins myself?

Technically yes, but we recommend against it unless you've taken a backup first and are comfortable testing afterward. Running updates without a staging environment or backup can break your live site. If you want to update something urgently, contact us first.

Do I need to do anything for updates?

No. Updates are handled automatically as part of your care plan. We'll only contact you if a major update needs your input or review.

What's a PHP update?

PHP is one of the programming languages WordPress is built on. Your hosting server runs a version of PHP. Keeping it current is important for both security and performance. We coordinate PHP updates with your host and test carefully before applying them.

My site is on Webflow or Squarespace — what about updates?

Those are hosted platforms: the vendor runs and updates the software behind your site, so there's no WordPress-style routine of applying core, plugin and theme updates. Webflow, for example, says its all-in-one platform removes the need for third-party plugins. Squarespace is a partial exception: sites still on its version 7.0 can be moved to version 7.1 with Squarespace's own version update tool, which is a one-off change you choose to make rather than routine maintenance. And if you use any integrated third-party tools, those may still need attention.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

Software updates explained