How to Undo a Change on WordPress: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

As a WordPress expert, I understand the importance of making changes to your website to improve its performance. Sometimes these changes may not yield the desired results, or they may even cause more harm than good.

In such cases, it is essential to know how to undo these changes effectively to ensure that your website remains optimized for search engines. In this article, I will provide a step-by-step guide on how to undo a change on WordPress, with a focus on SEO optimization.

How to Undo a Change on WordPress: 5 Steps to Follow

Step 1: Identify the Change

The first step in undoing a change on WordPress is to identify the change that you want to undo. This could be anything from a plugin update to a change in your website’s theme. It is essential to have a clear understanding of what change you want to undo before proceeding.

Step 2: Backup Your Website

Before making any changes to your website, it is always advisable to create a backup of your website. This is to ensure that you can always revert to the previous version of your website in case anything goes wrong during the undo process. You can use a plugin like UpdraftPlus to create a backup of your website.

Step 3: Undo the Change

Now that you have identified the change that you want to undo and have created a backup of your WordPress website, you can proceed to undo the change.

Depending on the change you want to undo, there are several ways to do this-

Plugin Update: If the change you want to undo is a plugin update, you can simply go to the Plugins section in your WordPress dashboard, find the plugin in question, and click on the “Deactivate” button. This will revert the plugin to its previous version. You can also go to the “Updates” section in your dashboard and click on the “Re-install Now” button to reinstall the previous version of the plugin.

Theme Change: If the change you want to undo is a theme change, you can simply go to the Appearance section in your WordPress dashboard, find the previous theme that you were using, and activate it. This will revert your website to the previous theme.

Code Change: If the change you want to undo involves changes to the code of your website, you can use the FTP client to access your website’s files and revert the changes manually. Alternatively, you can use a plugin like WP Rollback to revert the changes.

Step 4: Test Your Website

After undoing the change, it is essential to test your website thoroughly to ensure that everything is working correctly. Check all the pages, posts, and functionality of your website to make sure that everything is as it should be.

Step 5: Monitor Your Website

Once you have tested your website and are satisfied that everything is working correctly, it is essential to monitor your website to ensure that there are no adverse effects of the change you have undone.

Keep an eye on your website performance and monitor it closely for a few days to ensure that everything remains stable.

Final Words on How to Undo a Change on WordPress

Undoing a change on WordPress can be a daunting task, especially if you are not familiar with the platform. However, by following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily undo a change and ensure that your website remains optimized for search engines.

Remember to always create a backup of your website before making any changes and to test your website thoroughly after undoing a change. With these tips, you can effectively manage your website and ensure that it performs at its best.