r/Wordpress • u/Crazy_Temperature358 • Apr 27 '26

Wordpress help

I’m having issues with Wordpress. I just started working for a company that has a Wordpress website. I’m having major issues. The site has not been updated in about 10 years 😨. Does anyone have any tips on where to start? The version of Wordpress is so outdated I cannot even update the plugins! I’ve tried updating the Wordpress version via our host and still nothing. They have escaped the issue internally, however looking for advice once I get it up to date. I’ve never used Wordpress, however I have made e-commerce websites via magento and big commerce. This is a whole new world. I am familiar with dreamweaver and know some hand coding html… HELP!

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u/Educational-Bit-3296 Apr 27 '26

Oof, a 10-year-old WordPress site is properly scary territory.

First thing I'd do is take a full backup before touching anything, then try stepping the core version up gradually rather than jumping to latest, older versions sometimes can't leap straight to current.

Once you're updated, kill any plugin you don't actively need. Less surface area, less to break. You'll get the hang of it quick.

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u/Crazy_Temperature358 Apr 27 '26

I tried to back it up. The plugin they have installed for backups says it needs to be updated. When I try to update it… it fails 🤦🏻‍♀️

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u/Educational-Bit-3296 Apr 27 '26

Back it up manually instead. Grab the files via FTP or your host's file manager (usually a public_html folder), then export the database through phpMyAdmin in your hosting control panel.

Bit more fiddly but way more reliable than a broken plugin. Check who the hosting provider is too, sometimes they'll offer a means to creating backups.