Editing without breaking things.
SAFE
Text on pages Images Adding pages and posts Prices and contact details Menu items
MODERATELY SAFE
Theme customiser settings: colours, fonts, layout options
Widget content Adding a well-reviewed plugin
RISKY
Editing theme files Editing any code Changing permalink structure on an established site Deleting pages without redirects Installing multiple plugins at once Changing the site URL
BEFORE ANYTHING RISKY
Take a backup. Two minutes.
THE RULE
If you do not know what a setting does, do not change it to find out on a live site.
IF SOMETHING BREAKS
Undo what you just did. The cause is almost always the most recent change.
If you cannot undo it, restore the backup.
WHAT TO LEAVE ALONE
Anything in a settings screen you do not understand Core files Database contents
WHEN TO ASK
Anything structural. Content changes are safe; structural changes are where sites break.
