After months of planning, prepping and lots of hard work your website is launched! Done! Checked off your list. Now you can move onto the next steps in growing your business, and you don’t have to worry about your website anymore.
Imagine going to your website and instead of your branding, photos and information, it’s an entirely different website! This really happened to a couple of businesses that we know.
Although this is often an easy fix by updating your website software, how does that look to potential customers? Did you lose business because they thought they weren’t in the right place? People move about the web quickly these days and they’ll be onto a competitor’s website and have forgotten about you in a matter of seconds.
Does this only happen with WordPress?
We’re huge fans of WordPress for its wide range of options, but with 30% of websites built with WordPress software, they can be common targets. WordPress developers are constantly updating the software to prevent hacking (free to you!), which means that you need to be updating to the latest software as often as possible.
WordPress websites usually employ additional software to get the features you want from your website called themes and plugins. Those need to be updated too.
Your responsibility as a website owner
If your website collects any type of information from visitors (and it collects more than you realize), you are responsible for keeping that data secure. Do you collect email addresses, have a contact form, sell products, or have client logins? Stay in compliance with privacy laws and keep hackers out to the best of your ability by updating your software.
Can I use an automatic updater?
Yes! We do that all the time, but it’s not always that simple. This year we saw unusual things happen to websites with one of the WordPress updates. To keep our clients’ websites looking professional, we had to employ custom fixes for each one that looked wrong. Because we learned about this issue almost immediately, we were able to fix the websites before most visitors saw them.
Sometimes themes and plugins are no longer maintained by the developers. When that happens, they become vulnerable and can no longer work with new versions of WordPress. With a consistent eye on your website, you can see when this happens and find a replacement.
Paying a professional to update your WordPress website may be less expensive than you think
Let’s face it, we can have the best intentions to take care of our websites ourselves, but we get busy doing our real work. Hiring a professional can be a valuable option and provide you peace of mind. With Harmony Graphic & Web Design LLC maintenance packages, we keep a close eye on your website, check regularly for broken links and outdated software, watch for important updates coming, recommend feature and marketing improvements, connect you to analytics, and are available for content updates and emergencies.
Can I maintain my own WordPress website?
You can totally do this yourself if you want to. Not sure where to start? We’re happy to point you in the right direction or provide a training session. Email us to get on track in keeping your website secure!
You might be tired of the car analogy…but it sums it up!
When you own a car, it’s important to regularly maintain it by changing the oil, adding fluids, and replacing parts along the way. This ensures that you won’t get stranded on the side of the road. Regular maintenance of your WordPress website will keep your website protected, maintain your professional image, and prevent big headaches.
