Did you know WordPress powers nearly half of all websites worldwide? That’s right – 43.5% to be exact. And here’s the scary part: your website plugins might be putting you at risk right now.
Let’s talk about something that keeps us up at night – over 8,000 documented vulnerabilities sitting in plugin repositories. These outdated plugins have become a goldmine for cybercriminals looking to break into websites.
Here’s the thing about website security: you might think your site is safe and sound, but it only takes one outdated plugin to blow everything wide open. Think of it as leaving a window unlocked in your house – that’s all a burglar needs. We’ve seen countless website owners learn this lesson the hard way, only spotting the breach after hackers have already done their worst.
Okay, so this is absolutely one of the most important things you need to sort out. We’re going to show you:
- Why these outdated plugins are such a massive threat to your site
- How to spot the vulnerable plugins before they cause trouble
- What you need to do right now to protect your website
Don’t forget, it may work well today but not tomorrow. So you need to keep everything checked regularly.
What Website Plugins Do (And Why They Matter)
Think of plugins as extra bits of software that make your website do more stuff without messing about with its core code. Just like apps on your phone, plugins add new features to your website when you need them.
Website Plugins Made Simple
The WordPress world is massive – we’re talking over 54,000 plugins in their official directory. These clever bits of code hook into your website, letting you add new features or improve existing ones without getting your hands dirty with complex programming.
How Plugins Make Your Website Better
Time and Money Saver: Instead of paying a developer to build everything from scratch, plugins give you ready-made solutions. It’s like buying furniture rather than building it yourself – much quicker and often cheaper!
Easy to Control: The beauty of plugins is how flexible they are. You can turn features on and off, change how they look, and tweak colours and fonts to match your site. Plus, they help keep your customers’ data safe and make your website run smoother.
Common Plugin Types You Probably Use
Let’s look at the most popular plugins you might have on your site:
Security Guards: These plugins act like your website’s security team, scanning for threats and keeping the bad guys out.
Speed Boosters: Just like tuning up a car, these plugins make your website run faster by optimising images and managing how your site loads.
Shop Builders: If you’re selling online, these plugins handle everything from showing products to processing payments.
Number Crunchers: Want to know how many people visit your site? These plugins track all that juicy data for you.
Example: A local bakery’s website uses WooCommerce (a shop plugin) to sell celebration cakes online. They also use Yoast SEO to help customers find them on Google, and Wordfence to keep their site secure. That’s three different types of plugins working together to run their business!
The WordPress Plugin Directory is like a massive app store with over 50,000 free plugins. And if you can’t find exactly what you need, you can always get a developer to build something special just for you.
Just like your phone apps need updating, these plugins need regular attention to keep working properly. We’ll show you how to handle that bit next.
Red Flags: Your WordPress Plugins Might Be Crying for Help
Let’s talk about something we see all too often – outdated plugins causing havoc on websites. It’s not just about missing out on the latest fancy features. Your site’s safety is at stake here.
Your Website’s Gone Slower Than a Snail
Ever noticed your website suddenly feeling like it’s wading through treacle? No changes to your content, no traffic spikes, but everything’s just… slow. That’s often your plugins eating up server resources like they’re at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Here’s what slow loading does to your business:
- Visitors get fed up and leave before your page loads
- Google pushes you down the rankings
- Your sales take a nosedive
- Your site might crash when you need it most
Those Pesky Security Warnings
This one’s tricky – sometimes plugin developers just abandon ship, leaving your site vulnerable without even a goodbye note. The scary part? WordPress won’t always tell you when plugins vanish from their directory.
Watch out for these warning signs:
- Your WordPress dashboard flashing up warnings about untested plugins
- Messages about plugins disappearing from the WordPress directory
- Alerts showing plugins haven’t been updated in ages
When Plugins Stop Playing Nice Together
Think of plugins like a football team – they need to work together. But when WordPress core and themes get updated, your old plugins might stop passing the ball.
First, you’ll notice small things going wrong – forms not working, menus acting up. Then the big problems kick in:
- The dreaded white screen of death
- Those nasty HTTP 500/502/503 errors
- JavaScript throwing a tantrum
- Fatal errors that make your site go kaput
Why does this happen? Simple – some plugin developers don’t keep up with WordPress updates, so their code gets outdated. If a plugin hasn’t been updated for two years, it’s like leaving a rusty old lock on your front door.
Our advice? Keep an eye on your plugins like a hawk. When you spot these warning signs (especially those security ones), don’t wait around – swap out those problematic plugins straight away. Running old plugins is like driving with a dodgy brake – it might work for now, but you’re asking for trouble.
We check all our clients’ plugins weekly because we’ve seen what can happen when things go wrong. Trust us, prevention is much better than cure in this game!
The Real Cost of Ignoring Plugin Updates (It’s Not Pretty)
Okay, so this is absolutely one of those things website owners often brush off. “Oh, I’ll update that plugin later…” Sound familiar? Well, the numbers we’re about to share might make you think twice.
When Data Goes Missing
Let’s talk real money here. A data breach now costs businesses a whopping GBP 3.53 million globally. If you’re in the States, that number jumps to GBP 7.47 million per breach. Healthcare folks? Brace yourselves – you’re looking at GBP 8.02 million.
Breaking down these scary numbers:
- Just finding and escalating the problem: GBP 1.25 million
- Sorting out the mess afterwards: GBP 0.95 million
- Each bit of data that goes walkabout: GBP 145.33
When Customers Stop Trusting You
Here’s something that keeps us up at night – once customers lose trust, getting it back is like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands. The research shows 18% of people won’t even type their card details on sites they don’t trust.
Small businesses, you need to listen up. 43% of online attacks are aimed right at you, but only 14% are ready for them. We thought it might be a bit of a con at first, but Patchstack’s numbers don’t lie – 2023 saw 24% more security problems, with plugins behind 97% of them.
When Your Site Goes Dark
Remember that time Amazon went down for an hour? The bill was eye-watering. For regular businesses, every minute of downtime costs about GBP 4,447.30. Do the maths – that’s between GBP 115.15K and GBP 357.37K per hour.
The damage to your wallet:
- Small business getting hit? That’s GBP 30,972.24 on average
- Medium-sized business? Nearly GBP 69,886.09
But here’s the real kicker – your Google rankings take a nosedive too. Sites that keep going down often lose 30% of their organic search traffic. Funnily enough, we’ve seen this happen to clients who came to us after ignoring plugin updates for months.
Don’t forget, it may work well today but not tomorrow. We check all our own and our clients’ websites at least once a week minimum. Because when it comes to plugin updates, prevention isn’t just better than cure – it’s a whole lot cheaper too.
Keeping Your Website Plugins in Check
Though this might be a technical task and should ideally be done by a professional, let’s walk through how to check your plugins properly.
Your WordPress Dashboard: The Control Centre
First stop – your WordPress dashboard. Here’s what you need to do:
- Log into your wp-admin area
- Find the Updates section in the main menu
- Look for any plugins needing an update
Quick Plugin Check:
- Click the Plugins tab in your dashboard
- Have a good look at versions and status
- Use the WordPress Site Health tool to spot any issues
Want to save time? You can update multiple plugins at once through the Plugins section. But here’s a top tip – always check the changelog first. You don’t want any nasty surprises after an update!
Clever Tools to Help You Check Plugins
Sometimes your dashboard isn’t enough. That’s where these handy tools come in:
ManageWP: Perfect if you’re running multiple sites. One click and you’re done with all your updates. Simple!
Easy Updates Manager: Like to keep tight control? Here’s what it’ll cost you:
- Basic (2 sites) – GBP 23.03/year
- Plus (5 sites) – GBP 38.91/year
- Professional (20 sites) – GBP 54.80/year
- Unlimited sites – GBP 70.68/year
MainWP: Fancy something with more security features? Try these options:
- Essentials – Free (yes, really!)
- MainWP Pro – GBP 158.04/year
- MainWP Pro [Lifetime] – GBP 475.70
Example: A local bakery’s website uses ManageWP to manage their plugins. They test updates on a staging site first, so if anything goes wrong, their cake-ordering system stays up and running! It’s not just about updating – it’s about keeping your site healthy and secure.
The Hard Truth About Plugin Updates
Outdated website plugins are like ticking time bombs on your website. We’ve seen businesses lose everything because they thought “it won’t happen to me.” But with data breaches costing around GBP 3.53 million, can you really afford to take that risk?
Here’s what keeps us up at night: Every week, we see websites getting hacked through outdated plugins. It’s more than about keeping things running smoothly – it’s about protecting your business from serious threats.
WordPress gives you some basic tools to manage updates, which is good. But sometimes you need extra muscle. That’s why we use additional security tools for our clients’ websites. Think of it like having both a lock and an alarm system – better safe than sorry!
What you need to do right now:
- Set up regular plugin checks (weekly at minimum)
- Put proper security measures in place
- Keep everything updated (yes, everything!)
Personally, I think the biggest mistake website owners make is treating security like a one-off job. It’s not like getting your car MOT’d once a year – it needs constant attention. Every skipped update is basically an open invitation to hackers.
Need help sorting out your plugin security? Book a meeting with We Get Digital and let’s chat about keeping your website safe. We’ve been doing this for over 25 years, and trust us – prevention is much cheaper than cure!
