Your shiny new website has just launched, it looks great on mobile and it loads quickly, job done!

However, just like cars, computers and anything else you rely on to ‘just work’, your website requires maintenance. In this post we will be going over what maintaining your website entails and what the benefits of an up to date site are.

What should be done and why?

Firstly, we recommend setting up a regular backup of your website. Should your site be compromised or hacked the safest option is to erase the site and install a recent backup. Once this is done all of your passwords should be changed to prevent the hacker from causing you more problems. In addition, having a current backup readily to hand saves a lot of trouble in the event of your site being lost as a result of server failure.Secondly, we advise that your site is checked regularly to be using the latest plugins and software patches. Hackers use exploits in old software to gain access to your website, and by patching to the most current version you can stay one step ahead of them.

Once the new patches and updates have been applied the website should be tested to check there are no problems and all forms etc function normally.Thirdly, we recommend using WordFence or a similar security plugin. This can flag up issues with your website such as out of date or unsupported plugins, unusual login activity and other potential security issues.

Does this really need doing?

Unfortunately the answer is yes, yes it does! You may think that your website won’t be a target but hackers throw a very broad net nowadays, and many attacks are the result of bots looking for out of date software that they can exploit. If your site is not properly maintained it’s more a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’, your site is compromised.

Can I carry out these updates myself?

Yes, you can. If you have the knowledge and experience to carry out the updates and fix anything that breaks as a result of incompatibility, yes you can.

If however you have any doubts, you are far better to have somebody who developed and maintain sites on a daily basis.

Can my IT company carry carry out the maintenance?

IT and website development are similar, but very different. A dog and a cat both have four legs, a head and a tail, they are both domesticated pets, but quite different – try playing fetch with a cat! The same is true of IT and web development. You may have a IT company who also carry out web development, great. But if not, go to the specialist.

Can the person who built my website maintain it?

They should be able to and that would be the perfect situation. However, not all web designer and developers are set up to manage ongoing maintenance, especially if they are one person or a freelancer. The reasoning being, they have limited time available and are busy working on the next clients website design and build.

So who can look after my website and keep it maintained and secure?

As mentioned above, there are a number of possibilities, but it should be an experienced support team….like us! We have many years of experience with web security and we are happy to discuss your requirements. We can manage your site’s backups and updates, and in a worst case scenario we will get your site back up and running with minimal downtime.

Get in touch or give us a call on 01625 666900 to find out more.

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