The easiest way to update your WordPress blog is to use the built-in update feature from WordPress that will come up when a new version of WordPress is available for your blog.
BUT don’t hit that update button just yet.
First you have to make sure we have a backup of the blog. And you have to make sure we have a good backup of the blog.
It must be a good backup, you can’t tell me “I think I have a backup” or “I think so” — You gotta have a solid YES! answer.
So, first things first, create a backup. Because you’re a good listener and perhaps have been following along for a while now, you should have a Siteground account.
These accounts have backups built in but we’re going to make sure we have a brand new spanking new backup before we update or upgrade WordPress!
Go follow the quick guide on How To Backup Your Blog from Siteground before you continue.
Ok. You have a backup? You’re positively absolutely sure you have a backup, saved to your computer and in good condition?
Ok. Then let’s update!
In your dashboard you’ll notice an alert like this:
Easy to miss if you’re not really looking for it. Be brave, but prepare!
Just click in the “Please update now.” link to begin the update process. Next you’ll see a screen like this:
Use the easy update button. It should be easy.
The installation should just work, but when you hit that “Update Now” button, if anything goes wrong then you can refer to the same document that helped you get a backup, but look at the restore section, or get in touch with Siteground tech support. They’re pretty awesome and will help you.
Normally most of the time, the next screen you will see is the main WordPress dashboard screen, including a video that plays to some jazzy background music and explains the new features for the version you just updated your blog to.
So What’s Next?
Keep an eye on your dashboard and update whenever you get notified.
WordPress is pretty easy to update using the built-in update system and so long as everything goes well. Be patient as you update your blog. It usually takes a few seconds, but it could take a couple minutes.
I recommend that you keep your blog updated within a day or two from the update release date, just make sure you have a backup. WordPress is updated at least once each month, but sometimes more often.
To make things even easier when dealing with updates and backups, I recommend you take 100% control of that and use a solution like BackupBuddy. BackupBuddy will run full consolidated backups on a schedule of your choice and can save the backups to Dropbox or another online storage service to keep them safe and ready in case something goes wrong.
Alright, now you know how to update WordPress when it comes up.
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