Performing theme, plugin and core updates on your site can be intimidating and overwhelming, especially for older and more complex sites with many interconnected plugins – WooCommerce, I’m looking at you! The solution is simple: use a staging site – a private copy of your site where you can safely test updates and resolve problems before your users ever experience an issue. I’ll guide you across a number of ways to create a staging site depending on your specific needs, performing these updates, and then applying these updates to your main site. You’ll leave with a concrete plan for how to set up your own staging site, and will fear the update process far less!

1. Update Smart:
Use a Staging Site!
Meagan Hanes

2. Has this ever happened to you?

4. The Solution: Use a Staging Site!

5. What is a Staging Site?
★ ideally on the same server
★ robots.txt/Dashboard set to hide the site from search engines
★ in contrast to your "Production" or "Live" site
a private copy of your site

6. Why do we use Staging Sites?
★ websites get hacked via non-updated WordPress files
○ plugins, themes, and WP core files
★ but "doing it live" is NOT the best way!
to keep our websites healthy

7. Why do we use Staging Sites?
★ updates are done without affecting the live site
★ go slowly through updates, actually read update notes
★ test thoroughly without polluting live site’s database
perform updates carefully

8. Why do we use Staging Sites?
★ if a plugin problem is found, live users are not impacted
○ super important for e-commerce sites & forums
★ eliminates SEO-crippling / BI problems
eliminate mistakes&downtime

9. How to Create a Staging Site

10. How to Create a Staging Site
use a backup plugin
★ use a tool that many sites already have installed
★ bonus: become more familiar with restoring websites
★ BackupBuddy, VaultPress, UpdraftPlus, Duplicator, etc

11. How to Create a Staging Site
use your web host
★ many web hosts include one-click staging
★ WP Engine, LiquidWeb, Flywheel, Siteground
★ GoDaddy & A2Hosting (Managed WordPress)

12. How to Create a Staging Site
use a staging site service
★ third-party services like WPStagecoach.com
★ automatically deletes the site after inactivity
★ is not free; does not work with Multisite

13. How to Create a Staging Site
manually clone the site
★ great opportunity to better understand WordPress
★ copy over all files (WP, plugins, themes, media uploads)
★ export & import your database; replace all URLs

14. How to Create a Staging Site
create a local site clone
★ use an all-in-one solution like Local by Flywheel
★ 100% private, on your local machine only
★ will likely not be identical to your server

15. Update Workflow with a Staging Site

16. STEP 4
Perform plugin update
on live site
STEP 3
Test each plugin’s
functionality
STEP 2
Perform updates one at
a time on staging site
STEP 1
Identify items with
updates; create update
plan
Website Update
Workflow:
Staging Sites
could also re-migrate entire
website + database

17. Workflow #1 - Manually
1. Make a backup of both environments
2. Review list of updates available
3. Perform updates one-by-one on Staging site
4. Test each update with specific cases
5. Review Staging site’s front page after all plugin updates are applied.
6. Apply these updates on Production with confidence!
7. If there’s an error, roll back step by step and discover what is causing the
problem
8. Resolve the problem / apply other plugin updates

18. Workflow #2 - Use Version Control (Git)
1. Make a backup of both environments
2. Review list of updates available
3. Create and checkout a new Git branch for your updates
4. Perform updates one-by-one on Staging site
5. Test each update with specific cases
6. Review Staging site’s front page after all plugin updates are applied.
7. If it looks good, push the branch, then merge this branch into your
Production branch
8. Deploy to Production with confidence!
9. If there’s an error, roll back step by step and discover what is causing the
problem
10.Resolve the problem / apply other plugin updates

19. Workflow #3 - Use WP Engine’s Tools
1. Make a backup of both environments
2. Ensure no content is on Staging that will be lost!
3. Clone your Production site down to Staging
4. Review list of updates available
5. Perform updates one-by-one on Staging site
6. Test each update with specific cases
7. Review Staging site’s front page after all plugin updates are applied.
8. Use WP Engine’s built-in tool to push the Staging site to Production
with confidence!
9. If there’s an error, revert to your recent backup and ask LiveChat kindly :)
10.Resolve the problem / apply other plugin updates

20. Wise Questions regarding Staging Sites

21. Wise Questions You Should Consider
who’s job is this?
★ who exactly is responsible for making these updates
★ how often will updates be performed
★ schedule this task; be firm with its importance

22. Wise Questions You Should Consider
should i pay someone else?
★ time = $$$ especially when updates go wrong
★ many maintenance services include daily/weekly backups
★ frees up internal resource for more important work

23. Bonus Staging Site Tips

24. Bonus Tip: Change Your Dashboard Colours
Live Site Staging Site

25. Bonus Tip: Change Your Dashboard Colours
Live Site Staging Site

26. Bonus Tip: Nuke It With Fire
★ Common situation with staging sites:
○ “Testing some things out”
○ “Working on new content”
○ “Don’t update it PLEASE!!!111!1”
★ Solution: Company policy regarding staging site deletion
○ Staging may be overwritten at any time sans notice
★ But perform a quick backup regardless

27. Upcoming Canadian WordCamps
August 10 - 11: Montreal
2019.Montreal.WordCamp.org
September 7: Halifax
2019.Halifax.WordCamp.org
October 19th: Niagara
2019.Niagara.WordCamp.org

28. Update Smart:
Use a Staging Site!
Meagan Hanes