Staging environment

A staging environment is an identical copy of your site that runs privately, apart from the version visitors see (production). It lets you test without risk: update WordPress ✕ WordPress is the world's most-used content management system, letting you build and manage websites and blogs without coding skills. More in the glossary → , switch themes, install a new plugin ✕ A plugin is an add-on that gives software like WordPress new functions — such as a shop, contact form, or SEO — without coding. More in the glossary → or redesign a page, checking that nothing breaks before applying it to the live site. If something goes wrong in staging, it does not affect your users or your SEO ✕ SEO (search engine optimization) covers all the measures that get a website to appear higher in Google's unpaid results and thereby attract more visitors. More in the glossary → . Good WordPress hosts create staging with one click and then let you push the changes to production in a controlled way. It is an essential safety net for sites that get traffic ✕ Traffic is the amount of data your website transfers, determined by visitor numbers and page size. Some hosting plans cap monthly traffic. More in the glossary → or earn revenue. Which providers include it is covered in the best WordPress hosting comparison.