Keeping them current.
WHY UPDATE
Security fixes, primarily.
Outdated plugins are the most common route of compromise.
THE RISK
An update breaks something.
That risk is real and smaller than the risk of not updating.
THE PROCESS
Back up Update on staging first, for anything significant Update live Test
WHAT TO TEST AFTER UPDATING
Your homepage A post or product Your contact form Your checkout, if you have one
That last one especially. Checkouts break silently.
UPDATING ONE AT A TIME
For important sites, update individually so you know what broke.
For simple sites, batch updates are acceptable with a backup.
AUTOMATIC UPDATES
WordPress can update plugins automatically.
Reasonable for a simple site with backups. Risky for a shop.
IF AN UPDATE BREAKS SOMETHING
Restore the backup, or roll back the plugin.
Report it to the developer.
