An insight into our WordPress maintenance service
A look at why is WordPress maintenance is so important. A quick look at our monthly maintenance service, what we do and why we think it's important for our client's website properties.
Since 2008 here at The DMA we’ve been in the business of designing and developing WordPress websites. For the same amount of time we have been hosting the same WordPress sites for our clients. For many clients the whole hosting thing is a bit of a mystery and that’s ok because it’s our job to keep their website up and running and secure.
Let’s dig a little into what makes the setup so important.
A little history
Initially we offered our hosting service separate from our maintenance service. Around 2010 however we combined the two. The thinking was pretty simple: if we are going to host the site we need to also look after the WordPress core updates, updates for the plugins used, maintain the backups and general security for the sites.
Fast forward another year and we made it compulsory to have our maintenance service if you host with us.
Why choose managed WordPress hosting?
Even when working with organizations that do have their own I.T. capabilities, website hosting and the nuances that go with it are not core skills. Along with the site itself, the design and content there is a lot more that goes on behind the scene.
- managing the database that powers WordPress
- the site needs to load quickly so caching and optimising the content is important
- management of security, user logins to the site
- daily backups and the ability to quickly restore parts or all of the site
All of this requires a very specific set of skills.
Like any software system if you’re not keeping up you’re in trouble. If you logon to the Internet with a really old version of Windows you are making yourself available to many security threats. Likewise if your website is running an old versions of WordPress you are inviting problems.
WordPress core gets updated sometimes as many as 4 or 5 times a year. As well as adding new functionality the updates are closing security problems. The same goes for the plugins that have been installed in your website.
We have a monthly schedule where we look after our client’s WordPress sites. Testing backups, updates to WordPress core and plugins that have become available, looking at issues like comment spam and general security of the site.
It’s this regular behaviour that keeps our WordPress sites running well and we believe it’s a must have for all of our client’s website properties.
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