This is something that really puzzles me as someone who deals with website security issues regularly. I constantly see the same pattern where companies get their WordPress websites hacked, and when I look into it, the main problem is almost always the same - they haven’t updated their plugins, themes, or WordPress core in months or sometimes even years.
What I don’t understand is why this keeps happening over and over again. WordPress makes it pretty easy to update things, and there are even automatic update options available. The security patches are usually released quickly when vulnerabilities are found.
So what gives? Are business owners just not aware of how important these updates are? Do they think their small business won’t be targeted? Or is there something else I’m missing here? I’m genuinely curious about the psychology behind this because it seems like such an obvious thing to stay on top of.
Running a small consultancy, I see the same problem everywhere - business owners think websites are “set it and forget it.” They pay for development, launch the site, then mentally cross it off their list. Updates feel like pointless maintenance costs when everything looks fine. There’s real fear too. I’ve watched clients put off updates for months because they’re terrified of breaking something or having downtime during busy periods. The knowledge gap is massive. Most owners don’t realize WordPress sites get hammered by automated attacks no matter how small their business is.
Technical intimidation is huge here. I’ve run WordPress sites for years and seen how scared business owners get about touching admin stuff. They’re terrified of clicking something wrong and nuking their whole site. Horror stories about updates breaking things or causing white screens make it worse. There’s also this disconnect between IT stuff and actually running a business. Small business owners are drowning in sales, inventory, payroll, customer service - website maintenance feels like this totally foreign technical thing. They think their web developer or hosting company automatically handles security, not realizing plugin updates need active management. Cost perception’s another problem. When you’re focused on immediate business needs, paying to prevent problems instead of fixing existing ones doesn’t feel urgent.
for sure! it’s like they think security updates are optional or somthing. many folks just dont see the risk until it’s too late. some might not even know how easy it is to keep things updated. frustrating, right?