“Updates are over-rated.” “Developers just want to add some new ‘bells and whistles’ to the product making it more flashy.” “What’s the point? It works fine and has for a long time.” “Updates aren’t really needed unless something breaks. Besides, I get updates on my computer and the updates themselves break things.” “It’s better to leave well enough alone.”
Sound familiar? Many people think updates are just extra work that can be ignored. Here’s a question then. Do you want your web site to be secure? Sure you do. But that’s what you pay the hosting company for, right? That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Even if you pay huge sums of money to a hosting company, chances are, the site they host is your responsibility. In fact, if you don’t keep your site up to date and hackers get in, the hosting company can kick you off without notice.
What am I updating?
Hackers spend their time looking for sites that aren’t up to date. WordPress sites use several plugins to give you the look and feel you want. Your Web Developer added them and configured them to make you happy with the site. Usually it stops there. Your site is an orphan. Sitting alone to fend for itself in cyber space. Every so often, an update comes along. Whether for one of the plugins or WordPress itself.
The average website owner never knows it because they have to regularly log into the administration panel and look to see if there are updates available. An average website receives one to two updates a week. Worse than that, some plugins on older sites have been abandoned by their developer. They are still out there doing what they were designed for, but no security updates are being done making those plugins an easy target for hackers.
I Like the way my site is. Why should I care if it’s outdated?
You may not be always looking for the latest and greatest feature, but you still need to keep your site secure. Nothing can destroy your credibility like a hacked site. Imagine giving a customer your business card, they go to your site and it shows something very different than what they expect, or worse yet, infects their computer. The greatest majority of hacked WordPress sites happen to sites that don’t update.
The goal of your business website is to present your customers with what they need when they need it in a pleasing manner that makes them want to do business with your company. You have invested a lot of time, effort, and money to put the content out there to accurately reflect your business. Just as a store would never stay in business if they never swept the floor or straightened the shelves, websites need “digital housekeeping” to remain competitive.
Why can’t I do it myself?
Can you do your own housekeeping? Of course. However, sometimes things don’t go as planned. Sometimes the act of updating can actually break the site. Now it will cost you even more to have a professional come in and get things back. Besides, your business may not be websites. If you own a restaurant, you wouldn’t hire a web developer to work on your kitchen equipment.
That’s why a maintenance agreement is important. Think of it as an extended warranty for your site. Preventative maintenance is by far the most cost effective, like oil changes for your car. Our preventive plan covers all aspects of keeping your site up to date and functional. Extensive use of backups make sure you are never left with nothing. Major updates are tested on a separate site to see if they will work before applying them to the live site. That way if an update does break the site, your website remains up. The troubleshooting is done separate from the live site.
If you are interested in finding out more about how we can keep your site going, just let us know here.