27% of all websites run on WordPress. As one of the most popular CMSs in the world, choosing to work with it is a solid decision. But as with any CMS, WordPress requires some housekeeping. Investing in design and maintenance services is the best way to ensure your site is running securely and smoothly.
But what exactly does WordPress maintenance entail? And why should you outsource your maintenance tasks? Check your website here.
If you’re a business or a solopreneur, here’s everything you need to know about investing in maintenance and design services for your WordPress website.
Why Design With WordPress?
WordPress is the most common CMS in the world, and for good reason. It’s versatile, open-source, and has a robust user community. Choosing to design your site in WordPress ensures you’re working with the latest technologies. It also future-proofs your site – WordPress has been around for decades and it’s not going anywhere soon.
Choosing to work with a WordPress-specific design service for doctors or any business gets you the best of both worlds: an awesome CMS and qualified specialists that know the ins and outs of it. All of that said, WordPress — like any site — comes with certain maintenance tasks.
Let’s break WordPress maintenance down.
What Is WordPress Maintenance?
WordPress maintenance is a series of ongoing activities that ensure your WordPress website is healthy, secure, and (hopefully) profitable. Just as you’d perform regular checks on your car to keep it running smoothly, so too should you maintain your website.
WordPress maintenance tasks include:
Core Updates
WordPress didn’t become one of the most popular CMSs by stagnating in old code. The core WordPress code is constantly being updated, patched, and improved. This means each time a core update rolls out, your site needs to be updated as well.
Such updates can be automated, but major updates run the risk of breaking your site if not properly tested in advance. This is where WordPress maintenance comes in. It ensures each update is properly rolled out on your site so you experience minimal downtime.
Plugin and Theme Updates
The WordPress core isn’t the only code that requires updates. Plugins and themes also come with their own updates, patches, and improvements, often in tandem with WordPress core updates.
A maintenance service will ensure your themes and plugins are all kept up-to-date and secure. It’ll also ensure that any buggy code is caught well before it becomes a major issue.
Regular Backups
Anyone with a computer knows the importance of backing up your data. This same principle applies to the content of your website.
Maintenance programs should always provide regular backups as standard. This includes backups of your site’s database, media files, and any site customization data.
Regular backups ensure that should the worst happen, you’re able to get your site up and running again in as little time as possible.
Security
WordPress does a great job of ensuring their CMS is as secure as possible but every site owner should be taking extra steps to ensure the safety of their website.
WordPress maintenance services run scans, malware checks, and general security monitoring as standard. This ensures your site is as safe as it can be from hacking and other malicious online activity.
Performance Optimization
A good website is a fast website, and a fast website means optimization. Optimizing your site for speed can include:
- Optimizing Javascript and CSS files
- Properly compressing image and media files
- Auditing code structure
- Monitoring page load speeds
Proper maintenance covers all aspects of performance optimization. So you can rest assured that your website is performing at its very best.
Spam Comment Handling
Spam isn’t just for emails. The moment you open a website up to comments, you’re bound to get your fair share of spammers. There are ways to automate spam filtering and any good maintenance company worth their salt will recommend the use of one.
Server Maintenance
Server maintenance includes anything that happens in the back end of your website. It can include allocating resources, setting up email addresses, database cleanups, and more.
SEO Maintenance
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s the method behind your site ranking well when people search for specific terms in Google. Maintenance services often provide SEO maintenance as standard. This can include anything from auditing your site’s internal HTML structure to maintaining a content generation schedule.
Why Should You Invest in WordPress Design and Maintenance?
Now you know what WordPress maintenance is, how might hiring a WordPress design and maintenance professional help your company? Outsourcing your WordPress housekeeping has a number of benefits, including:
It Saves You Time
Maintenance of any process takes time and website maintenance is no different. Why spend precious hours backing up your database when you can delegate the task and concentrate on what you do best: running a business.
Your Website Is Looked After by Professionals
Unless you’re a web developer in your spare time, odds are you’re not going to have the know-how to properly maintain your WordPress website. By outsourcing your maintenance you’re ensuring your site is being looked after by professionals in their field. You could also consider adding an affiliate marketing program manager to encourage other people to do the marketing for you.
Your Site Security Is Covered
Getting hacked is no small thing. At best your website content is compromised, at worst hackers get a hold of sensitive information such as customer data. Employing a WordPress maintenance service gives you the peace of mind of knowing your site is being securely looked after.
Your SEO Will Pull Its Weight
SEO is one of the most important factors in your website’s success. Ensuring your onsite SEO is pulling its weight is just one of the many upsides to investing in a WordPress maintenance service.
WordPress Maintenance Services Are Well Worth the Investment
WordPress is a solid investment unto itself which makes web design and maintenance services for law firms or any business, an even better addition to the fold. Now you know everything there is to know about investing in your site’s maintenance: what it entails, how you can benefit, and why outsourcing is the best choice for you and your business.
Ready to build your site in WordPress? Get in touch today and see how we can help your business succeed with WordPress.
