WordPress Tips

On August 2, WordPress announced its release of WordPress 4.9.8, which is a maintenance release that fixes 46 bugs and adds enhancements and blessed tasks. This includes updating the Twenty Seventeen theme.

The Gutenberg Callout

You will notice an option to Try Gutenberg when you login to your WordPress dashboard, allowing you to test drive the Gutenberg block editor prior to its official release in WordPress 5.0.

In the latest WordPress version, the callout shows as:

“If Gutenberg is not installed or activated, the callout will be shown to Admin users on single sites, and Super Admin users on multisites.

If Gutenberg is installed and activated, the callout will be shown to Contributor users and above.

If the Classic Editor plugin is installed and activated, the callout will be hidden for all users.”

Privacy Fixes and Enhancements

The latest release also includes privacy fixes focused on the new personal data tools that WordPress added in the 4.9.6 version including:

• The type of request being confirmed is now included in the subject line for all privacy confirmation emails.
• Improved consistency with site name being used for privacy emails in multisite.
• Pagination for Privacy request admin screens can now be adjusted.
• Increased the test coverage for several core privacy functions.

Why Using the Latest Version of WordPress is a Must

Some WordPress users are hesitant to update their WordPress to the current version. They may be comfortable or satisfied with the version they are using, or they may be simply a little lazy. If this describes you, this is not a good practice. You should always use the most current version of WordPress, and we would like to explain why.

Security

WordPress is the most popular CMS, and it operates over 25% of all websites around the world. But this immense popularity also makes it an attractive target for hackers.

Plus, WordPress is open source. Anyone can access its code. The primary purpose is to allow experts to continually improve upon WordPress. But, hackers can access the code as well; hence, they are always seeking to find ways to break into WordPress sites.

Luckily, WordPress consistently works to improve its security features, and the WordPress core is very secure. Security experts around the globe report security bugs and fixes. WordPress takes these security issues extremely seriously, and the WordPress core team works quickly to release new updates to fix security bugs.

WordPress stays on top of security issues, but it won’t do you any good if you keep an older version because you are comfortable with it. Hackers also exploit vulnerabilities with plugins and themes, so its best to keep those up-to-date as well.

Speed

WordPress developers are continually trying to make WordPress faster. Each new release will give you improvements in the performance of WordPress that make it run quicker. This improves your website load time and maximizes your SEO efforts.

New Features

The latest version will offer new and improved features. They will enhance your experience and help you manage your site more efficiently. For instance, WordPress 4.8 came with a visual text editor in text widget and media widgets.

Bug Fixes

Despite the meticulous and painstaking testing conducted before any major WordPress Release, bugs can slip through. To address this, WordPress releases minor updates that fix known bugs. If you skip the updates, you will continue to have the bugs.

These are some of the primary reasons to always update to the latest version of WordPress. NOYO Web Development recommends using WordPress as the most robust, most secure CMS available. It’s an added benefit that the platform is free. For more information, contact us today for a free consultation.