Keeping your website updated is one of the most important parts of your maintenance plan. Updates are not just about new features - they fix security vulnerabilities, improve compatibility, and keep your website running stably over time. Here's exactly how we handle them.

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## We Don't Just Click Update

Applying updates blindly is one of the most common causes of website breakage. We follow a careful process every time:

* We review what each update changes before applying it

* We check for known conflicts with your specific theme and plugin setup

* We apply updates and immediately verify that your website looks and functions correctly

* If anything breaks, we roll back and investigate before proceeding

You never need to touch an update yourself - we handle everything.

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## What Gets Updated

Every website on a maintenance plan receives updates for:

* **WordPress core** - the foundation your website runs on

* **All active plugins** - including WooCommerce and any extensions if applicable

* **Your theme** - including child theme compatibility checks

* **PHP version** - we monitor your PHP version and flag or action upgrades when needed to keep your website on a supported, stable version

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## How Often Updates Are Applied

Update frequency depends on your plan:

* **Care** - once per month

* **Active** - twice per month

* **Commerce** - twice per month, with additional checks focused on WooCommerce compatibility after every update cycle

For critical security updates - where a vulnerability is actively being exploited - we apply the fix immediately regardless of the regular schedule, on all plans.

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## What Happens After Every Update

After each update cycle, we run a series of checks to confirm everything is working as expected:

* Key pages load correctly

* Contact forms submit successfully

* On Commerce plans: cart, checkout, payment, and order flow are verified end to end

If we spot anything wrong, we fix it - you'll hear from us only if there's something worth flagging on your end.

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## Do I Get Notified When Updates Are Done?

Yes. Every month (or twice a month on Active and Commerce) you receive a status report summarising all updates applied, checks performed, and the overall health of your website. You don't need to follow up or ask - it comes to you automatically.

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## Can I Request an Update Outside the Schedule?

Yes. If a specific update is urgent or you've been notified of a critical vulnerability, contact us and we'll prioritise it.

**You can reach us via:**

* Email

* Phone

* WhatsApp / Viber

* Contact form at [ath.dev/contact](https://ath.dev/contact/)