Here is a summary of the main reasons:
Security
A website or CMS is just like any other piece of software, such as an anti-virus program, and it needs to be kept up-to-date to make sure it is safe from any intrusions. The web can be a dangerous place, with hackers constantly coming up with new ways to cause trouble, so you will want to be sure your site is as prepared as possible for any attacks, and making sure your website software is up to date is one of the best ways of doing so. Updates and patches always upgrade the security capabilities of your software by patch up any security holes. This sort of thing prevents a lot of hacking and also bugs. Even the web browser and web based programs that you use must have the latest patch.
New Features
The web is constantly changing, so quickly that it can be difficult to keep up with all the opportunities available for adding value to your website and increasing your audience and/or revenue. Keeping your website software up-to-date will ensure that you are gaining access to the new features that are being released to help you keep pace with the ever-changing web technologies. For example, is your website fully mobile-responsive? It is more important than ever to have this feature for a website, not only do your viewers expect it but it could also affect your ranking if you don’t.
New features often bring better functionality too, making it a better experience for your site visitors as well as easier for you to manage.
Keeping up to date with the rest of the web and your competitor’s
Because the web is always changing and being updated, hosting servers and web browsers are also always being updated – if you don’t keep your website up to date as too, it could become incompatible with the servers and browsers and start showing problems like bugs or just not displaying correctly.
Don’t forget your competitors will also be mainting and updating their websites and online presence too. Who will your potential customers choose when looking at websites; one that is out of date and old or one that looks like it is being maintained and up to date?
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