As our portfolio of WordPress websites grows, so does the need for ongoing care. Over the last several months, I’ve looked at companies that offer “care” but found they all fall short because one vital component is missing: a human!
In this age of technology, machines can do so much for us, but in my opinion, some things cannot be automated. One such thing is web administration, particularly regarding WordPress. There are indeed plugins that warn you about security updates and updates that need updating, but the truth is you need someone who can perform these updates or address these security issues.
You have a few options:
- You do the updates yourself. This can work fine until it doesn’t, and your site doesn’t work as before. Then you are left to call your hosting company’s tech support, who can only do so much because they are not your developer…
- You do nothing. This may buy you some time, but inevitably, things could go wonky. Your theme may no longer be supported, and your site may become more vulnerable to hacking. Things continue to evolve; if your website doesn’t, it could break, and you are back to square one.
- You can invest in care. I like this option the best. Read on.
WordPress Care – with a HUMAN touch.
My team and I have developed a system to ensure that my client websites are being properly managed so that I can sleep at night knowing they are.
Each week, we go through the list one by one. This means we manually log into the Dashboard, check for updates, view any notifications, make notes, and decide if any action needs to be taken.
What about the other WordPress hosting companies?
Many people don’t realize this, but when you host with a company that claims to specialize in WordPress, that means they have suitable servers and database technology in place, which is essential. Still, it doesn’t mean your site is taken care of. Yes, you can choose to have automatic updates and nightly backups running, but the truth is (see option #1) an automatic update can break your site. Sometimes, waiting until a major update has been released is best before you update your site.
Have you experienced the “white screen of death” when an update doesn’t work? I know I have! Then what do you do? Call support and spend your time trying to understand web technology, getting frustrated because it’s stressful, confusing, and… not your job. Meanwhile, your site is down, and you may be losing customers.
It’s not one size fits all.
Each site is unique, with its own theme, set of plugins, and type of cron jobs that run regularly. My team has incorporated tools to help us identify the updates and security issues that come along, and then, with a real set of human eyes and hands, we make the adjustments needed to keep every WordPress site in our care healthy.
We’re dedicated Mondays as our check-in day for this, and I receive a list of any issues that were found and addressed or need action. In addition, our system alerts us around the clock if something wonky is happening so we can give our attention to it. Yes. It is a lot of work.
The investment.
(One of these things is not like the others.)
BossDog Essential WordPress Care is $39.95/month, and if you’ve read this far, you hopefully have a better understanding of what CARE means. Our service is most definitely not like the other hosting companies out there.
Don’t be fooled by hosting companies that offer cheap plans and give you the impression that your site will be taken care of. There is no way to accomplish this without humans looking under the hood regularly. And besides, you wouldn’t want someone you didn’t know looking at the inside of your website, would you?
Contact us with any questions or are ready to set up this plan.
Comfortable managing your hosting plan and WordPress updates yourself? Then the BossDog Pro Plan is for you ($14.95/month)