Guide Contents:
Plugin Updates Explained – What Exactly Are They?
After you download plugins to your WordPress website, you’ll start to receive notifications of plugin updates.
These will appear in the sidebar of your WordPress dashboard under “Plugins”.
You will also be notified within your “Updates” at the top of the sidebar, which includes theme updates, and WordPress updates.
The number marked inside the red circle represents the total number of updates you have pending.
It’s important to keep your plugins up to date to optimize their performance.
Updates are designed to:
- Fix bugs
- Ensure compatibility with WordPress
- Improve functionality
- And more
Keep your plugins up to date to maximize their performance, and ensure their compatibility with your website.
How to Update a WordPress Plugin – 2 Simple Steps
1. Go to either “Updates” or “Plugins” within the sidebar of your WordPress dashboard.
2. From the updates menu:
Select the plugins you’d like to update, and click on “Update Plugins”.
I recommend updating all active plugins as soon as possible. However, if the plugin is not activated on your site, you don’t necessarily need to update it.
From the plugins menu:
Scroll to the plugin that requires updating.
Underneath the description of the plugin will be an update notification, giving you the version of the updated plugin, as well as an option to update.
Click on “update now” to update the plugin.
And that’s it!
Your plugins are now up-to-date.
Why Updating Your Plugins is Important – Maintain a Healthy Website
Keeping your plugins up-to-date is important for your site health. If your plugins aren’t up to date, it can cause several problems, including:
- Plugin won’t work properly/at all
- Can slow site speed
- Poor user experience
Creating a powerful, engaging user experience is important for visitor retention.
Keep your plugins up-to-date, and you’ll keep your visitors coming back!
Share Your Thoughts
Was this article helpful? Leave a comment below, your feedback is important!
If you have any further questions or concerns regarding WordPress plugins, don’t hesitate to ask.
All the best,
Isaya
Roadtoselfemployment.com
Hi Isaya! I just read one of your other posts on installing plugins and I saw this one. I was wondering, do plugins impact the performance of the site? I’ve also heard that they can conflict with each other and cause problems. Is this true? Thanks again for your time and patience with a noob like me.
Hey again Neil,
Plugins will not effect the speed of your site as long as you’re selective about which, and how many plugins you use. I recommend not using more than 10, but some recommend 5. It really just depends on which plugins you’re using.
And yes, plugins can conflict with each other. If you’re having issues with 2 or more plugins, just try a different one. There are plenty of plugins available that perform the same, or similar functions.
I hope this helps!
Great tutorial Isaya. I always learn something new when I come to your site.
Thanks.
Hey Vince,
That’s so great to hear! Come back any time!