3 Ways to Update Your WordPress Site

WordPress updates are critical for security, performance, and feature improvements. However, many South African site owners delay updates because they fear breaking their sites or losing functionality. The good news: there are three straightforward methods to update WordPress safely—and I'll walk you through each one based on what I've seen work best for HostWP's 500+ migrated SA sites.

In this article, you'll learn when to use each update method, step-by-step instructions, and how to avoid the common pitfalls that land sites in our support queue.

Method 1: One-Click Dashboard Updates

The WordPress dashboard offers one-click updates for core, plugins, and themes—the simplest approach for most site owners. This method works best on stable hosting with good server resources and is ideal if your site has a small visitor base with forgiving traffic windows.

To use one-click updates: Log in to your WordPress admin, navigate to Dashboard → Updates, and you'll see pending updates listed. WordPress will show the version number (e.g., 6.4.2 to 6.5) and any plugin or theme updates available. Click Update Now for each item. WordPress handles file replacement and database migrations automatically.

Why this works in South Africa: If you're on fibre (Openserve or Vumatel), one-click updates complete in seconds. Even on slower ADSL connections, the dashboard method consumes minimal bandwidth compared to manual uploads. At HostWP, we've found that 78% of SA sites we audit use one-click updates—it's the most popular method because it requires no technical knowledge.

The main risk: if your connection drops mid-update or your hosting runs out of memory, updates can fail partway through. Always back up first (daily backups come standard with HostWP, but you can also use a plugin like UpdraftPlus for extra peace of mind before clicking Update Now).

Faiq, Technical Support Lead at HostWP: "In my experience, 90% of one-click update failures happen because the site lacked a backup or the hosting server hit memory limits. Test updates on a staging environment first—it takes 5 minutes and saves hours of troubleshooting."

Method 2: Manual FTP Updates

Manual FTP updates give you granular control and work when the WordPress dashboard is inaccessible due to server issues, load shedding, or plugin conflicts. This method involves downloading the latest WordPress files, connecting via FTP, and uploading them to your server.

Step-by-step: First, download the latest WordPress version from wordpress.org. Extract the ZIP file on your local machine. Open an FTP client (FileZilla is free and popular) and connect using your hosting credentials (ask your provider for FTP details). Navigate to your site's root directory. Upload the wp-admin and wp-includes folders, replacing the existing ones. Also upload the root-level files (wp-config.php, index.php, wp-load.php, etc.), but do not overwrite wp-config.php or .htaccess if you've customized them. Finally, visit yourdomain.com/wp-admin and WordPress will prompt you to run any database updates—click Update Database.

Manual updates take 10–20 minutes depending on file size and connection speed. During load shedding (Stage 4–6), this method is invaluable because you control the timing—update when Eskom's schedule shows power is stable, rather than relying on automated processes that might fail mid-cut.

Plugins and themes can also be updated manually: Download from their official sources, connect via FTP, navigate to /wp-content/plugins/ or /wp-content/themes/, delete the old folder, and upload the new one. Always rename the old folder (e.g., plugin-name-old) rather than deleting it, so you can roll back if needed.

Method 3: Let Your Host Handle It

The safest method for busy site owners is managed WordPress hosting that includes automatic updates. HostWP, along with competitors like Xneelo and Afrihost's managed tiers, run updates in the background with automatic staging, rollback capabilities, and zero downtime.

With HostWP's managed WordPress plans (from R399/month), updates happen automatically on a schedule you control. Our system creates a backup before any update, runs the update on a temporary copy of your site, tests that everything works, and only then pushes it live. If an update breaks something, we automatically roll back to the previous version—all within our 24/7 SA support window.

This approach eliminates the risk of user error, server timeouts, or connection drops. Your site stays live throughout the process because LiteSpeed (our default server software) handles traffic seamlessly during updates. For POPIA compliance—relevant if you handle South African customer data—managed hosting ensures your site is patched within 48 hours of security releases, protecting user privacy and reducing your compliance burden.

The trade-off: managed hosting costs more (R399–R1,499/month depending on traffic) than basic shared hosting. But for agencies, e-commerce sites, and professional services (accountants, law firms, medical practices) handling sensitive data, the peace of mind and compliance support justify the cost.

Pre-Update Checklist Every Site Needs

Before you click Update, follow this checklist to avoid 99% of update problems:

1. Backup your entire site. Use your hosting's backup tool or a plugin like UpdraftPlus. Store backups offsite (AWS S3, Google Drive, or your host's cloud storage). At HostWP, we keep 30 days of daily backups automatically—but add your own for extra security.
2. Test on staging. Your hosting should offer a staging environment (a clone of your live site). Update there first, test all pages and forms, then update live once you're confident.
3. Check plugin compatibility. Visit each plugin's WordPress.org page and confirm it supports your target WordPress version. Sort by Tested up to—if a plugin shows 6.0 and you're updating to 6.5, contact the developer before updating.
4. Disable caching and CDN briefly. If you use Redis, Cloudflare (which HostWP includes standard), or W3 Total Cache, temporarily disable them during updates to ensure fresh data is served.
5. Update at a quiet time. For e-commerce sites and high-traffic blogs, schedule updates during off-peak hours. SA traffic patterns suggest Tuesday–Thursday, 2–4 AM (when load shedding is less likely) as ideal.
6. Test after updating. Visit your homepage, test forms, check that plugins still load, and review the admin bar. If your site has WooCommerce, test checkout. If it uses critical plugins, verify they still function.

This checklist takes 15 minutes but prevents 90% of post-update issues I see in our support queue.

Troubleshooting When Updates Fail

Sometimes updates don't complete. Common causes in South Africa include: Eskom load shedding cutting power mid-update, connection timeouts on slower ADSL lines, or server memory exhaustion on budget hosting plans.

White screen of death after updating? This usually means a plugin conflict or PHP version mismatch. First, enable WordPress debug mode: Edit wp-config.php and add define('WP_DEBUG', true); Check the error log in /wp-content/debug.log to see which file caused the crash. Usually, disabling suspect plugins via FTP (rename /wp-content/plugins/plugin-name to /wp-content/plugins/plugin-name-disabled) restores your site. Then update the offending plugin.

Updates stuck at 100%? Your hosting likely has memory limits too low for larger WordPress installations. Contact your host and ask them to increase PHP memory to at least 512 MB (1 GB for WooCommerce sites). You can also check current usage: In your wp-config.php, look for define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '40M'); and raise this value. Restart and retry the update.

Lost connection during update (load shedding)? Your site isn't necessarily broken—WordPress updates are atomic (they complete fully or roll back). Check your site: often it's live and fine. If pages are broken, restore from your pre-update backup immediately. If backups aren't available, contact your hosting support to revert from their server-side snapshots.

For POPIA compliance, document every update attempt (successful or failed) in a site maintenance log. This demonstrates due diligence if a breach occurs and you need to show regulators you kept systems patched.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often should I update WordPress?
A: Security updates (e.g., 6.4.1 to 6.4.2) should be applied within 48 hours of release. Major updates (6.4 to 6.5) can wait 2–3 weeks to allow plugin developers time to ensure compatibility. Enable automatic updates for security releases at minimum—found under Settings → Updates in WordPress 5.7+.

Q: Will updating break my plugins or theme?
A: Rarely, if your plugins and theme are actively maintained. Check each plugin's "Tested up to" version on WordPress.org before updating. Outdated plugins (no update for 6+ months) are most likely to break. Keep a pre-update backup and test on staging first.

Q: Can I update during load shedding?
A: No. Wait for stable power. Power cuts mid-update can corrupt your database. If you're on managed hosting like HostWP, our platform has battery backup and failover systems, so updates are safe even during Stage 6 load shedding.

Q: How long do updates take?
A: One-click dashboard updates typically take 1–3 minutes for WordPress core and each plugin. Manual FTP updates take 10–20 minutes depending on file size. Managed hosting updates are invisible—they happen in the background while your site stays live.

Q: What's the difference between WordPress core updates and plugin updates?
A: Core updates patch WordPress itself (security, performance, features). Plugin updates fix bugs and add plugin-specific features. Both are important. Core security updates are mandatory; plugin updates depend on whether the plugin author is still active. Abandoned plugins should be replaced.

Sources

• WordPress.org – Updating WordPress
• WordPress Developer Handbook – Plugin Updates
• Web.dev – Web Performance