It’s the new year – hooray! But it also means you need to do a few chores on your website.
- Change the copyright date in your footer if it doesn’t auto update. Normally you find this under Appearances>>Customise Theme>>Footer
- If WordPress have released a new WordPress default theme – normally named after the year eg: Twenty Twenty One and you’re not using the current default theme – then delete last year’s theme. You only need one default theme (used to test if you’re having site problems).
- Check you’ve enabled AUTOUPDATES on the new WordPress theme. These will normally be well tested and safe to have auto updating through out the year. It means it will be one less update you’ll need to worry about.
- Submit all your contact forms to check they get delivered correctly and success message still correct
- Test all your newsletter optins to make sure lists are being updated correctly.
- Check your PHP version and update it with your host if you’re not using the latest. You can check which version you have by looking in WordPress Dashboard>>Tools>>Site health.
- Check who your USERS are. Do you have any old developers that still have admin access, even though they are no longer working on your site? If you have someone who only works on the site occasionally consider changing their access to subscriber until you know they need to login again.