Most websites nowadays are built on a CMS (content management system), that powers the site’s backend and allow us to quickly and efficiently make changes to the content without any expert knowledge of it. Just like site content needing regular updating to keep it fresh and interesting, CMS updates are a vital aspect of website maintenance. Take a look at why this is important:
With the design and structuring of your site representing a significant investment, its maintenance can easily be overlooked if you don’t consider aspects such an internal resource allocation or even the support contracts from the time you set it up. Choosing not to upgrade the CMS to the latest version of it can affect the functionality of the system in a number of ways, this can also result in additional expenses in the future. This can easily be avoided by ensuring that you get the system upgraded every time the vendor releases a new update.
An outdated system affects the security of your website and makes it vulnerable to cyber attack and compromises sensitive data which can impact your online credibility. Security updates or security releases help ensure your content management system is kept robust and protected from online attacks.
Older CMS’ experience various common problems such as incompatibility of plugins, coding errors etc. all of which can result in broken functionality on your website. Not only does this affect the user experience, but also creates problems for webmasters. Bugs, lags and technical issues that are discovered with the previous versions of your CMS are often easily resolved through the latest fixes.
Perhaps the most important reason to consider a CMS upgrade is the enhanced functionality and additional features it provides. Regular updates boost front-end capabilities and the efficiency of the back-end interface both of which are highly-essential for your site’s expansion and growth. The updated version of a CMS will often be developed with a much more efficient code which enables a more responsive site and faster running.
Each version of an update implements improvements & changes that make it considerably different to the original. A CMS system, like most software, is developed in conjunction with various technological advancements such as web browser updates making the new versions necessary to remain compatible with and support these developments. The migration to an upgraded and efficient CMS can be quite a complex and lengthy and process; however, this can be improved by working with skilled and experienced web developers.