Maintaining a WordPress website

November 9, 2022

WordPress is a widely used platform (over a third of current websites use it) as it allows you to login and carry out most of the content updates yourself. However, in a similar way to a computer, it also needs regular security & functionality updates as well as backups. In this post we discuss what’s needed and when, as well as the best way to ensure your website is properly maintained.

What you need before anything else.

You need a service that combines WordPress Hosting and a fully managed service.

What is ‘Managed Hosting’?

With Managed Hosting, you have peace of mind knowing your website is monitored, supported, secured, updated and backed-up by a team of skilled experts, leaving you free to concentrate on your business.

Be aware that Managed Hosting has different meanings, most hosting companies will only update the WordPress Core, the rest is up to you.

Benefits of ‘Managed Hosting’

Peace of mind – you’ll know that all WordPress core, plugin and theme updates are carried out on a regular basis
Reduce risk – by ensuring that all security patches are deployed in a timely manner
Stay online – regular uptime monitoring will alert your managed hosting partner to any issues so they can be addressed quickly
Save time – managing a website involves carrying out maintenance and monitoring tasks on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis.
Save money – repairing a website after malicious activity or an update failure can be expensive

Our Recommendations

Neptune Media recommends the WordPress Hosting and Maintenance packages offered by companies that operate with excellent customer service. We’ll be happy to help you choose the right hosting company for you that suits your site and maintenance needs.

What needs to be done?

Backups

Your website will need to be backed up on a regular basis. This means taking a full copy of your website and storing it securely somewhere. If the content on your website changes often then we recommend that these backups are carried out on a daily basis.

Backups are important as they ensure that your website can be restored in the event of a hardware failure, malicious activity (such as a hacking attempt) or an update failure.

You’ll need to ensure that your website is backed up regularly (we recommend daily). Ensure that you have a solution that allows you to easily “roll back” your website in the event that something goes wrong. As well as backing up your website directly onto the hosting server, we also recommend that at least once a week, backups are sent to a separate storage facility.

If this isn’t a service that your hosting company provides on your behalf, then we recommend:

Updraft Plus – https://updraftplus.com/shop/updraftplus-premium/

Updates

Just like a computer or mobile device, your WordPress website needs regular updates.

These updates fall into 3 categories:

WordPress Core

This refers to the core software that runs the WordPress functionality on your website.

Core updates are released several times each year.

Plugins

Plugins are the building blocks of your website.

They provide functionality such as improving SEO, increasing site, providing eCommerce functionality etc.

Theme

Your website theme is a group of files that dictates the overall appearance of your website.

Security & Monitoring

You’ll security for your site and the time to react to security alerts, we recommend: https://www.wordfence.com/

Ensure you are monitoring your website 247 we recommend: https://uptimerobot.com/

Caching at your host

Caching plays a crucial role in enhancing the speed and performance of a WordPress website by storing static versions of pages for faster loading times. Most caching plugins automatically clear the cache at pre-defined intervals, typically every 24 to 48 hours, ensuring that updates and new content are displayed correctly without manual intervention. This automated process helps maintain a balance between site performance and content freshness. However, occasional manual clearing may still be needed after significant updates or design changes to prevent outdated content from being served. Proper cache management ensures a smoother user experience, improves SEO rankings, and reduces server load.

Why you need to do it

Updates to the WordPress core, plugins and theme on your website will be released on a regular basis.

It is important that all updates are carried out in a timely manner for the following reasons:

To keep your website secure – updates may contain crucial security patches that leave your website vulnerable to hacking if they are not applied.
To keep your website stable – updates may contain functionality updates that allow your website to keep up with changes in internet browsers.
To keep your site up to date – updates may contain new features that your website can take advantage of.
To keep your site running fast – updates often require the cache to be purged and in most cases this is automated by the web host.

When does it need to be done?

The items above can be done anytime.

However we recommend the following.

Daily

Website Uptime monitoring (24/7)
Security monitoring (24/7)
Website and Database backups
Caching at your host

Weekly

WordPress Core
Plugins
Theme

Monthly

Database cleaning

Annually

Check PHP version

Can you do it yourself?

Can I do my own WordPress website maintenance?

Yes, providing you have time and learn the necessary skills.

However, we don’t recommend it! Why not leave the technical burden and uncertainty of securing and maintaining your WordPress website to the professionals with a complete managed hosting package.

Still want to do it yourself?

Ok, we’ve given you all the reasons why we think you’re better off getting an expert to manage this on your behalf.

But if you’d still rather go down the DIY route, we added a few pointers for you below.