Is your site loading a blank page? It could be as a result of an outdated CMS!
Most of us have invested a lot of money on a good website but all this could take you back to the drawing board if your website is outdated. A good number of our clients have their websites built on a CMS platform, most common being on WordPress or Joomla. These CMS frameworks, like most software, are developed to advance as technology advances.
Throw-back
If you have an android phone, you have probably noted that the Android system keeps changing and advancing. The most memorable encounter was when WhatsApp was introduced in Kenya a couple of years ago… The few Android phones in the market at that time were not compatible with WhatsApp – well, not all but a number of them – including Ideos if you happened to use that budget phone. You have probably seen phone adverts indicating which Android version it’s running on. This creates an illusion of generally what we mean when we say CMS systems are developed alongside technological advancements hence updates are inevitable.
Do you need to update your CMS? Is it necessary?
Here are 4 reasons why;
1. It saves you unnecessary expense. Issues are likely to occur often when using an outdated CMS and might end up costing more to have the issues fixed.
2. Your website will be vulnerable to cyber attacks. This is because new updates tend to fix bugs and loopholes that might be used to hack your website.
3. You disadvantage yourself from experiencing new features and enhanced functionality.
4. If left for too-oo long, you could lose your website altogether.
Our teammate Joan, takes us through one of the common problems experienced while running outdated frameworks. If you load your website and there is a blank page, consider the following steps
Step 1: Access your website files and confirm if they are running on an outdated CMS.
For WordPress – check under wp-includes folder on the version.php file. (You can view the latest versions and updates on wordpress.org)
For Joomla – access libraries folder then check under CMS or Joomla folder. (You can view the latest versions and updates on Joomla.org)
Step 2: Confirm the PHP version your hosting server currently supports. If you’re using cPanel, you can check under software then click on Select PHP Version.
Note: The current PHP versions supported are 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3. For 5.6 and 7.0 they have already reached the end of life.
Step 3: If the CMS is updated and a current PHP version is running on your hosting account(confirmed as indicated in step 2) contact our support team for further assistance. Our contact details are; support@sasahost.co.ke or +254 (0) 713 478 555.
If the CMS framework is outdated & the PHP version is updated, it is most appropriate to engage your website developer to assist with the update of your website files (core files, administrator, plugins, components, widgets) for the site to run efficiently.
NOTE: If you’re not a techie, kindly don’t update/upgrade your website files without contacting your developer.
