Why Website Maintenance Is Important – Lessons From the PHP Security Emergency

Understanding why website maintenance is important became particularly relevant in October 2026, when a critical PHP security emergency affected websites across the globe.

 

When was the last time you checked that your website was properly maintained?

Not when you last changed a photograph, added a blog post or updated your opening hours. We mean when did someone last check that the software behind your website was up to date, secure and working as it should? It’s something many business owners understandably don’t think about. After all, if their website looks fine and people can visit it, everything must be working properly. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

And the events of 21 October 2026 have highlighted exactly why regular website maintenance is so important.

What happened with PHP?

On 21 October 2026, emergency security updates were released after two critical vulnerabilities were discovered in PHP. If you’ve never heard of PHP, don’t worry. It’s the technology working behind the scenes on millions of websites, including those built using WordPress. You don’t normally see it, and you certainly don’t need to understand how to write it. But your website relies on it to function. The vulnerabilities were serious enough that website owners and hosting companies were advised to take immediate action.

At Poppy Design Studio, we worked closely with our hosting team to respond to the situation. We implemented additional firewall protection, applied the necessary server security fixes and updated all websites hosted with us to PHP 8.4 or 8.5, with the relevant security patches installed. This was essential work to protect the hosting environment. However, updating the server software was only part of the picture. The other important consideration was whether the websites themselves were ready for those changes. And that’s where regular maintenance made a real difference.

What happened to our clients’ websites?

We’re incredibly proud to say that all our website maintenance clients remained online throughout the PHP security emergency. Because we regularly maintain their WordPress websites, their software was being looked after long before the emergency happened.

When the urgent PHP updates became necessary, we were in a much better position to respond. Our team managed the necessary changes and dealt with any issues that arose, helping ensure our clients’ websites continued operating as expected. Our maintenance clients didn’t need to spend hours researching PHP vulnerabilities, worrying about plugin compatibility or trying to work out why something wasn’t working. We were already dealing with it. Unfortunately, the experience was different for some websites hosted with us that weren’t covered by a maintenance agreement. Although we carried out the necessary hosting and server-level security work, some of these websites experienced problems following the PHP updates. In those cases, outdated WordPress software, themes or plugins caused compatibility issues because the websites hadn’t been regularly maintained. This highlights an important distinction.

Keeping the hosting environment secure and maintaining the WordPress website itself are two separate responsibilities.

And when an urgent update is required, both matter.

But my website hasn’t changed. Why would it need updating?

This is probably one of the biggest misunderstandings about website maintenance. Many business owners quite reasonably think: “My website hasn’t changed in months, so why would anything need updating?”

The answer is simple.

Your website might not have changed, but the technology supporting it has.

Think of it like your car. You might only drive a few miles each week, but that doesn’t mean your car no longer needs servicing, safety checks or maintenance. Your website is much the same.

Even if you haven’t touched a single page, the following still need attention:

• WordPress itself
• Your website’s theme
• Plugins that provide additional features
• PHP and other server software
• Security updates and patches
• Backups and general website health

These are all different parts of your website, and they need to work together. Even a website that simply provides information about your business still relies on software that needs maintaining. And when one part of that technology changes, an outdated component elsewhere can cause problems. That’s why leaving a WordPress website untouched for months, or even years, can create difficulties.

Why an urgent PHP update can cause problems for older websites

When a critical security issue is discovered, the affected software needs to be patched. However, moving a website onto a newer PHP version can reveal compatibility problems with older WordPress themes, plugins or custom code. A plugin that hasn’t been updated for years might not work correctly with newer technology. The same can happen with an outdated theme. In some cases, this can cause parts of a website to stop working or even prevent the website from loading altogether. And when that happens, it’s not necessarily something that can be solved by simply restoring an old backup.

A backup can restore website files and information, but it doesn’t automatically resolve incompatibility with the PHP version running on the server. This is why regular maintenance matters. Keeping everything up to date throughout the year makes it much easier to respond when unexpected security updates become necessary.

Experience really does matter

At Poppy Design Studio, we’ve been building and looking after websites for over 21 years. During that time, we’ve seen technology change considerably. We’ve experienced security vulnerabilities, software conflicts, hosting changes and unexpected technical problems. And we’ve learnt something important.

Website maintenance isn’t just about clicking an update button. It’s about knowing what to do when an update doesn’t go to plan.

It’s understanding how the different parts of a website work together. It’s knowing what to check before making changes, how to identify compatibility problems and how to put things right when something goes wrong. It’s also about recognising potential problems before they become emergencies.

During the recent PHP security incident, that experience was invaluable. Our team understood what needed to happen, worked together and responded quickly. We knew that updating PHP was essential, but we also understood the importance of maintaining the WordPress websites running on it. For our maintenance clients, that meant their websites continued operating while we handled the technical work behind the scenes.

That’s the real value of ongoing maintenance. Not simply keeping software updated, but having experienced people looking after your website when it matters.

Do you need to pay someone to maintain your website?

Absolutely not. We have always believed in being honest with our clients, and we don’t believe everyone needs to pay an agency to do something they feel comfortable managing themselves.

You can absolutely maintain your own WordPress website.

But if you choose to do so, it’s important to understand what’s involved and take responsibility for keeping everything updated. Website maintenance isn’t something that should only happen when something breaks.

Whether you’re managing your own website or paying a professional, you should be:

• Regularly updating WordPress, plugins and themes.
• Checking that your hosting environment and PHP are supported and receiving security patches.
• Keeping reliable backups.
• Testing your website after updates to make sure everything still works.
• Checking contact forms, links and important website features.
• Responding promptly to security warnings.
• Knowing what to do, or who to contact, if something goes wrong.

If you’re confident doing those things yourself, that’s absolutely fine. If you’d rather concentrate on running your business and leave the technical side to someone else, that’s where a professional maintenance service can help. Neither option is wrong.

The important thing is that someone is actually doing it.

Hosting and maintenance are not the same thing

This is another important point that’s often misunderstood. Just because a company hosts your website doesn’t necessarily mean they’re maintaining your WordPress installation. Hosting provides the server space and infrastructure needed to make your website available online. Website maintenance involves looking after the WordPress software, themes, plugins and functionality that sit on that hosting.

They are two different responsibilities.

At Poppy Design Studio, we offer both hosting and maintenance services, but clients can also choose to manage their own website updates. We completely respect that choice. During the PHP security emergency, we took responsibility for applying the necessary updates and protection to our hosting environment. But for clients without a maintenance agreement, responsibility for updating and checking their WordPress website remained with them. This included ensuring that themes and plugins were compatible with the newer PHP versions and that pages, forms and other features continued working correctly.

For clients on our maintenance plans, we managed those responsibilities as part of our ongoing service.

It’s not about whether you pay someone to maintain your website. It’s about making sure you understand who is responsible for keeping it working properly.

Prevention is usually better than a costly repair

A website problem rarely happens at a convenient time. It might happen just as you’re launching a new service, running an advertising campaign or expecting an important customer enquiry. And when your website goes down, it can affect more than just how your business looks online. You could miss enquiries, lose potential customers and spend valuable time trying to resolve a problem you hadn’t anticipated.

In some cases, repairing a website with years of neglected updates can be more complicated and expensive than keeping it maintained in the first place. Regular maintenance cannot guarantee that a website will never experience a problem. But it can significantly reduce avoidable risks and make problems easier to identify and resolve. And as the recent PHP incident demonstrated, being prepared can make an enormous difference.

 

A final thought from us

The recent PHP security emergency has been a reminder that websites need ongoing care. It’s also reminded us why we place so much importance on experience, security and being there when our clients need us. We’re proud that our maintenance clients’ websites remained online while we dealt with the changes and any issues that arose. But more importantly, we hope this experience encourages other business owners to think about how their own websites are being looked after.

We don’t believe in frightening people into buying services they don’t need. We believe in helping people understand their websites so they can make informed decisions about looking after them. Whether you choose to manage your website yourself or ask us to take care of it, please make sure it’s being maintained properly. Because a website isn’t something you simply build, launch and forget.

It’s an important part of your business, and it deserves to be looked after.

 

Not sure whether your website is being properly maintained?

If you’re unsure whether your WordPress website is up to date, or you’d simply like some friendly advice about looking after it, we’re always happy to have a chat. No pressure, no complicated jargon. Just honest advice from a team with over 21 years of experience.

Get in touch with Poppy Design Studio

Further reading: WordPress: Critical PHP Security Release, 21 October 2026