Regularly updating WordPress isn’t just about keeping up with new features—it’s essential to maintaining a secure, stable, and high-performing website.
Why WordPress updates matter
Here are three key reasons why keeping WordPress up-to-date with new releases is critically important, and part of the service we provide to our managed hosting clients.
1. Performance and user experience improvements
Updates often include enhancements that make WordPress faster and more efficient. These might include improved page load times, better support for mobile devices, or refinements to the admin interface. Or they can introduce new tools that simplify content creation or site management. Staying current means benefiting from these improvements and offering your users a more polished, responsive experience.
2. Compatibility with plugins and third-party tools
Themes and plugins evolve alongside WordPress core. When your WordPress version falls behind, it can lead to conflicts or errors: particularly if newer plugins depend on features introduced in more recent updates. Keeping everything up-to-date helps ensure your site’s components continue working well together and reduces the risk of unexpected failures.
3. Security and protection against vulnerabilities
WordPress is one of the most widely used content management systems in the world, used by over 40% of all websites globally, which does mean it attracts attention from cyberattacks. The good news is that the huge WordPress development community responds quickly to emerging threats, releasing patches to address known vulnerabilities. But unless updates are applied, those fixes won’t reach your site. Updating WordPress, along with your themes and plugins, is one of the most effective ways to protect your website from security breaches.
What’s new in WordPress 6.8
WordPress 6.8 is nicknamed “Cecil” after the jazz pianist Cecil Taylor (all major WordPress releases are named after jazz musicians ever since 1.0, “Miles”). It introduces several notable improvements aimed at performance, security, and the content editing experience.
Faster page load
One of the standout performance improvements is speculative loading, a technique that uses browser hints to pre-load likely next steps in user navigation, such as pages linked to from the page you’re on now. This makes the site feel faster by reducing perceived loading times, especially on repeat visits.
Stronger password encryption
Security also sees an upgrade. The update replaces the older phpass system with bcrypt, a significantly more secure password encryption algorithm. To make use of it, simply log in or reset your password, and it will be ‘re-hashed’ using bcrypt.
Style Book
The Style Book feature in WordPress allows core design elements (e.g. typography and colour palettes) to be managed directly within the WordPress dashboard. While it was previously limited to sites built with the Gutenberg block editor, it now works with the Classic Editor too which most of our clients prefer.. We’ll be using this feature in future projects, and it can also be introduced to existing sites. Let us know if you’d like to explore this option.
Accessibility
WordPress 6.8 delivers over 100 accessibility enhancements across a range of components. These include the removal of redundant title attributes, improved skip links and ARIA markup in themes, clearer feedback for screen readers within the admin interface, more informative password error messages, and validation for custom menu links. Additional improvements span modals, tooltips, buttons, and global styles—making the platform more accessible and inclusive for all users.
One major release per year
Alongside these technical updates, WordPress has made a significant policy change to its release cycle. Traditionally, the platform saw three major updates per year; going forward it will release one major new version annually (and minor updates too).
The decision aims to make release planning more sustainable and predictable for contributors and site owners alike. It also encourages a longer testing window and more time for education and preparation before each update rolls out.
What does all this mean for you?
If your organisation uses WordPress to power its website, these changes underline the importance of a proactive approach to maintenance. In particular:
- Regular update reviews are vital to ensure compatibility with plugins, themes, and custom code.
- Security planning should take into account enhancements like bcrypt, while ensuring outdated plugins or themes don’t introduce vulnerabilities.
- Performance audits can help make the most of new features like speculative loading.
- Content teams may benefit from the improved editor interface, especially if using block-based themes or full site editing.
These developments reflect WordPress’s continued evolution as a modern, flexible content platform – but they also highlight the value of ongoing digital care and technical expertise to manage that complexity with confidence.
If you have any questions about these updates or would like more information on any of our website audits, please email [email protected].