Businesses create websites for one reason – to work as a business tool 24/7. When your website is this important, you have to make sure it’s managed properly.
Odds are, you already have the content part taken care of, but what about regular maintenance or changing features? You could try to do it alone, but it’s time consuming and if you make a mistake, your website could be offline for hours or even days.
To get the most from your WordPress, you need experts to help you manage it. Think of it as a way to keep one of your most valuable business tools in optimal condition without you needing to worry.
Keep It Secure
As the most widely used CMS, WordPress is a popular target for hackers. That’s also why WordPress releases regular security and core updates to keep your site as secure as possible. If you’re handling WordPress security yourself, you’ll have several regular tasks to keep track of, such as:
- Updating WordPress and ensuring your theme and plugins are compatible
- Maintaining security software, such as anti-virus and firewall (your host may handle this for you)
- Locking down all accounts
- Monitoring for potential problems, such as files that shouldn’t exist or logins that happen during odd hours
You may think no one would want to hack your site, but hackers don’t care about the size of your website, they just want it for things, such as:
- Steal your bandwidth
- Storing and sharing malicious files
- Using your website to hack other sites
If you’re not diligent, it’s the same as leaving the front door of a brick-and-mortar business wide open 24/7, even after closing. Having experts manage your security means you don’t have to worry about leaving the door open to your site.
Stay On Top Of Trends
Think back five years ago and only a few people were really talking about responsive design. Jump forward to today and it’s vital for your website’s success. However, staying on top of web design trends and knowing what’s best for your specific business is difficult. After all, you’re busy running the actual business.
WordPress experts understand the latest trends and can help you decide which new features might be best to help your site stay competitive and current. After all, using an outdated business tool isn’t going to be helpful for building your business.
Maintain Current Backups
You’ve likely heard that every business needs a disaster and recovery plan. A crucial part of this plan is having current website backups. If something was to happen to your site right now, are you certain you have a recent backup that works? Even when you have the best of intentions, it’s easy to forget to back up your site after a major change.
Experts manage your backups and help you get back online when the worst happens. They even ensure the backup is viable and doesn’t cause you more problems, such as putting a backup online that still contains malware.
Handle Theme & Plugin Installation
Themes and plugins are two of the best things about WordPress. They also help you highly customise your business tool to your needs. The problem is they’re not always easy to install and maintain. For instance, they’re just as vulnerable to security issues as WordPress itself. Take January 2017’s vulnerability roundup as proof.
You need someone who not only knows how to install a new theme or plugin without it crashing your site, but also keeps it updated and ensures your site isn’t using malicious plugins or themes.
Review Your Site For Issues
Unless you’re using your website yourself, you might not notice any suddenly speed problems or downtime. You might not realise that a page isn’t loading correctly. WordPress experts keep an eye on your website and watch for issues that can drastically damage your site’s reputation and rank.
An Expertly Managed Business Tool
The best business tool is one that’s expertly managed. Trying to wear all the hats in your business just makes you tired. Leave your website in the hands of someone whose business is WordPress and never let WordPress woes get you down again.
Looking for someone to help manage your site’s design and keep it current? Contact Darren today to see just how WordPress experts can help you.
Image: Carl Heyerdahl
