I'm not referring to content, I'm referring to technology.
Your website needs to keep pace with these changes. We are in a fast-paced evolving environment. If your website is your business driver then you need to make sure your website is performing to its best and working hard to drive traffic and build business.
Your website is just like your car, it needs regular care and updates for maximum performance.
You can't buy a car and expect it to run perfectly indefinitely. It needs to be serviced, kept clean, new parts added. The same applies to your website. As a minimum it needs to be maintained.
At Arttia Creative we favour WordPress as our Content Management System of choice. Read why here. WordPress is the world's most popular CMS running around 23% of the world's websites. It is powerful, innovative and secure. As with all technology and Content Management Systems, it needs to be kept up-to-date for maximum performance. Many (not all) of the websites we create, use WordPress for their CMS.
Websites built with WordPress benefit from the latest open-source technology, features, cost-effective extendibility, performance enhancements, SEO friendly and web standards. WordPress benefits from a large and ever-growing community of web professionals and consultants. These benefits greatly out-weigh any time it takes to run regular updates.
If you are the administrator of your WordPress website and have admin user access it is probably your responsibility to take care of any updates.
We offer exclusive, no contract, monthly website care and optimisation packages to our clients, so they can concentrate on what they do best; running their business. We care about every website we create and include exclusive monthly care plan options with each new website. Designed to not only take care of the regular updates (including continued premium licences) but to provide our clients with performance optimisation, additional digital marketing insight, SEO insight and accountability. We aim to work long-term with our clients, working with them to develop a digital strategy and drive business.
8 important things to do whenever you are updating your WordPress website. So you can keep you site tip-top.
Before you do anything make sure you take a back up. Backup both the files and the database. There are some plugins to help you do this. Ideally store a backup away from your website hosting, for example in a Dropbox folder or via a remote service.
Also check over any security scans to confirm all is in order.
We run daily backups. All sites are backed to a minimum of three locations as a fail-safe for any possible file corruptions, backup errors or loss of data. We also store several backup versions to provide a roll-back facility if required. We backup all data before running any software updates. We also run regular security scans and fix any broken links that have arisen.
Performance Optimisation, we can identify any areas of improvement on your website. We run uptime monitoring so if your website is down on a regular basis, we can alert you and your web hosting, so you know your not missing out any any visitors. Detailed monthly reports, straight to your inbox.
All Plugin updates, including Premium licences*. Most WordPress plugins and themes now require an annual licence, gone are the days of one purchase providing forever support and updates. We use only the very best premium plugins for certain functionality, so these need annual licences to be covered. Our care plans can cover these for you. Detailed monthly reports, straight to your inbox.
WordPress will alert you to any major version updates. Small incremental updates are typically automated and you don't need to action these. A major WordPress update can take a few seconds, so don't worry if it takes time to run. Also note, that with major WordPress updates it can be sometimes prudent to wait a couple of weeks before updating.
All WordPress software updates. WordPress core is evolving ever more quickly. With each major update your site need to be checked to make sure all is working as expected. Our care plans cover this and we fix any issues that arise. Detailed monthly reports, straight to your inbox.
We reactivate all performance plugins so your site is working to its optimum. Detailed monthly reports, straight to your inbox.
We scan and fix any issues that may arise, so you don't have to worry about any technical aspects. Detailed monthly reports, straight to your inbox.
We provide premium form software* that can create complex forms and data. All forms are optimised and tested each time an update is completed. We test and fix any issues for you as a priority. Detailed monthly reports, straight to your inbox.
We run daily backups so if an issue occurs, you can get back up and running as quickly as possible. All backups are stored in 3 separate locations, so you always have version that works. Detailed monthly reports, straight to your inbox.
Free step-by-step checklist of all 8 steps shown here.
No email address required. Just click and download.
Download and keep by your desk so you have a ready reference every time you need to update your WordPress website.
If you're running a complex or high traffic website or an eCommerce store we recommend testing theme, plugin and WordPress major updates on a local copy before updating a live website. That way you can check all is working as expected or identify any issues that need attention. If you need guidance on setting up a 'local' version of your website, email us: [email protected] and we are happy to help.
Due to the power and popularity of WordPress there are an ever growing number of dedicated or managed WordPress hosting providers. Typically they provide only WordPress hosting focusing on the particular needs of a WordPress website. This type of hosting can have many benefits; hassle free managed hosting, premium technical support, addition security, however these do come at a premium cost. Depending on your business needs these option can be extremely valuable.
Keeping your website up-to-date, secure, performing well and backed up can be time consuming and somewhat tedious. It takes you away from what you do best, running and building your business. Technology continues to evolve and there is no way you can stay informed of all the trends and developments.
Many hosting packages have an option for backups. They probably back up thousands of websites daily, which is great, however they aren't there to look at the detail of your site. Would they be pro-active in advising you of any issues that arise?
Arttia Creative Exclusive Website Monthly Care and Optimisation - with digital strategy support.
As one of our clients we know your website intimately, together with your business aims and objectives. We care about every website we create and want it to be the business driver you deserve. That's why we have developed a range of website care plans for our clients. They not only take care of the essentials but provide *unlimited updates, content and SEO optimisation to support your digital strategy going forward, driving traffic and revenue.
Not one of our clients? No problem. Get in touch and we'll assess your website set up, discuss your goals and see if we can provide the outstanding support you need.
Relax. We look after everything for you.
Look no further, we'll provide your website with the care and attention it deserves.
Your website will run faster. It will convert better, bring in more revenue with our exclusive care. All care plans are by application and are exclusive to our clients.
*Premium plugin licences are available subject to assessment. Unlimited updates depend on the plan selected.