Another WordPress security update.
WordPress 7.1.3 was released October 6, 2026, with seven security fixes and four bug fixes. WordPress is recommending that websites update immediately.
If you run a WordPress website, that probably isn’t surprising.
There is always another update.
And that’s the problem.
Not that software gets updated. Software should get updated.
The problem is how much time and attention maintaining a WordPress website can require because of the number of separate pieces of software involved.
The Update Isn’t the Whole Job
Clicking the Update Now button isn’t really the job.
The job is making sure you have a backup, applying the update, and checking that the website still works afterward.
If something breaks, you have another job.
Find out what changed.
Figure out which update caused it.
Restore the backup or fix the problem.
Then test it again.
This isn’t just a hypothetical problem. We’ve covered how forced WordPress security updates can break websites and how WordPress updates broke a website’s design, including a case where a missing header image left the site’s design broken. More recently, WordPress 7.1 broke WP Rocket, causing a fatal error that could take affected websites offline.
That’s why the real cycle becomes:
Update → test → fix → test again.
And then you wait for the next update.
For someone managing one website, that can already be annoying.
For someone managing dozens of websites, it becomes a real workload. Updates, backups, and testing have to be repeated across installations. Tools such as MainWP and ManageWP can help manage multiple websites, but they don’t remove the need to deal with problems when updates cause them.
We’ve heard the same frustration from WordPress users managing a single website, too. In Thinking About Switching From WordPress? What Should You Consider Before You Move?, one website owner compared maintaining a WordPress site loaded with plugins to living in an old house, waiting for the roof to leak or something else to break.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
Because a WordPress website can be made up of a lot of separate software.
WordPress itself.
A theme.
Plugins.
And sometimes plugins that depend on other plugins or interact with the theme.
Every one of those components can be changed independently.
A plugin developer releases an update.
WordPress releases an update.
Your theme developer releases an update.
PHP gets updated on the server.
Now all of those pieces have to continue working together.
That’s a lot of moving parts for something that, from the website owner’s perspective, is supposed to be one website.
You Can’t Just Ignore the Updates
This is where WordPress website owners get stuck.
You can’t simply say, “I’m tired of updating this thing, so I’ll stop.”
The whole reason for the updates is that old software can have security problems, bugs, and compatibility problems.
The current 7.1.3 release is a good example. WordPress fixed seven security vulnerabilities, including stored XSS, a second-order SQL injection, a denial-of-service issue, and other security problems. The project recommends updating sites immediately.
So you have two things to worry about:
Leave old software in place, and you could leave a security problem sitting on the website.
Update the software, and you need to make sure the update didn’t create a new problem.
And then you repeat the process.
Automatic Updates Aren’t the Same as No Maintenance
WordPress has automatic updates, which can reduce the amount of manual work required to install updates.
But automatic installation doesn’t mean the website no longer needs attention.
You still need to know whether the website is working.
You still need backups.
And if an update causes a problem, someone still has to deal with it.
WordPress itself recommends having a way to restore a site when using automatic plugin and theme updates.
So the question isn’t really:
“Can WordPress update itself?”
It can.
The better question is:
“Why does maintaining my website involve so many separate things that need updating?”
This Is Where Website Architecture Matters
There is another way to build a website.
Instead of starting with a basic platform and adding separate software for every major feature, you can use a website builder with more of those features already built in.
That’s the approach UltimateWB takes.
SEO is built in.
Forms and surveys are built in.
E-commerce is built in.
Forums are built in.
Memberships are built in.
Classifieds and listings are built in.
Articles are built in.
File uploads are built in.
Mailing lists are built in.
Rewards are built in.
Styles Manager and Page History are built in.
You don’t need to install a separate plugin for every major feature.
That doesn’t mean UltimateWB never gets updated.
It does.
The difference is what you’re updating.
You’re updating the website builder rather than continually assembling and maintaining a collection of third-party plugins.
Less Software to Manage
This is the part that often gets overlooked when people compare website builders.
People ask:
“What features does it have?”
We should also ask:
“How many separate things do I have to maintain to get those features?”
If a website requires a dozen plugins, those plugins become part of the website’s maintenance. If it requires two dozen, so do those.
And if you manage 50 websites, the number of components you need to keep track of adds up quickly.
The more separate software your website depends on, the more updates and compatibility issues you may have to manage.
That’s why the number of built-in features matters for more than convenience. It can affect how much ongoing work your website requires.
For a more detailed look at what to consider when choosing a website builder that requires less ongoing work, see How to Find a Website Builder with Low Maintenance Requirements.
The Goal Isn’t Zero Updates
No serious website software should promise that it will never need updates. Security fixes matter. Bug fixes matter. Software improves.
UltimateWB gets updates too. The goal isn’t to eliminate updates. It’s to reduce the amount of separate software you have to manage.
Your website builder should help you run your website, not turn software maintenance into a job of its own.
That’s why UltimateWB builds so much functionality directly into the platform. Less dependence on separate third-party plugins means fewer individual components to keep track of and maintain.
Build your website. Keep it updated. Spend your time running it.
Related Articles
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Best Website Builder for SEO: WordPress vs. Wix vs. UltimateWB
Looking for a low-maintenance website builder? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.