Getting a WordPress site up and running is relatively easy. However, getting your site live doesn’t mean that your work is done. Creating new content for your visitors is just one part of running a WordPress site. Eventually, you may need WordPress support to help maintain your site and keep it secure.
You should think of your WordPress website as a constantly-evolving entity that needs regular care and maintenance to perform at its peak.
In addition to making sure that your WordPress core stays updated, you’ll want to keep your plugins updated, run routine maintenance on your databases, and perform other optimization tricks to keep your pages loading as quickly as possible, even as you add more and more to your site.
Sound like a lot of work? It can be.
This is why getting outside help with WordPress support and maintenance, on top of what your web host offers, is a good idea. This is especially the case as your WordPress site grows, your traffic levels rise, and you need to spend more and more of your time on other, non-website related tasks.
Isn’t Web Hosting Support Enough?
If you need help, you may think that you can ask your WordPress host and you’ll be all set.
But, they may not always be able to help.
In short, it’s because your web host’s support team might not help you with 100% of what you need.
If something related to your web hosting service malfunctions, the host’s support team will help. But what if something related to your site breaks and it’s not due to server issues? Unless you have managed WordPress hosting, the web host will consider something like this to be outside the scope of support and close your ticket.
Plus, many web hosting companies don’t help with optimizing and protecting your site from errors to begin with. For example, they won’t offer optimization fixes to speed up your website, or proactive security changes to protect your site from hackers.
What support teams will (or won’t) help with varies from host to host. But if you have a hosting package you like, yet it doesn’t come with full WordPress support services, you can purchase those support services from a company like WP Buffs. Or if you’re a WordPress agency or freelancer, WP Buffs offers a 24/7 white-label support program. By next week, you could be offering clients around-the-clock support and making more monthly recurring revenue at the same time.
(Want more information about WordPress hosting companies vs. maintenance companies? Check out WP Buff’s in-depth comparison between the two)
Managed Hosting Services
The next step up for those who want a bit more when it comes to WordPress-oriented service from their hosting companies is a managed web hosting plan.
If you’ve opted for managed hosting services from companies like WP Engine or Cloudways, you’re likely getting more professional services than those without managed hosting.
However, managed hosting services can be limited still. Most come with things like scheduled backups, managed caching, CDNs, and automatic updates to your WordPress core. Some will even include automatic updates to your plugins.
However, such service packages may be limited in terms of what you get. For example, you probably won’t get help with customizing your theme or deciding what plugin best serves a business need you’re trying to implement (e.g., which gallery plugin is best for my new wedding photography business?).
Working with a 24/7 WordPress Support and Maintenance and Partner
If traditional web support options and managed web hosting plans aren’t enough for someone looking for around-the-clock help with their WordPress sites, what are the options available?
A 24/7 dedicated WordPress support partner.
A WordPress support company offers services like:
- Assisting with website optimization (optimizing images and videos, minifying your code files, enabling compression, and moving render-blocking resources so that your pages load faster)
- Securing your website by implementing two-factor authentication, adding additional checks to the login page, performing regular malware scans, and adding protection against brute force attacks
- Editing your website, including making changes to your themes
- Implementing general improvements to your website, typically by finding and installing the appropriate plugin
As you can see, all of these items are important for having the best possible WordPress site, but these are tasks that typically fall outside the scope of support when it comes to receiving assistance from your web hosting provider.
SEO, Sales, and Marketing
In addition to adding and improving your website, your partner can help with improving your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) and assist with your sales and marketing programs.
There’s a lot of factors to consider when it comes to improving your website’s SEO besides optimizing for the right keywords. You’ll also want to look into more technical aspects like your sitemap and more. If you’re new to the field of SEO, having someone around to walk you through the process of improving your site can be helpful.
Also, if you think that your website is stagnating and that you’re not growing as quickly as you’d hoped, your partner can help you with your marketing programs and campaigns. In addition to implementing contact forms to gather visitor information, helping you set up routine outreach programs, and optimizing your site to improve your conversion rates, your partner can help you add functionality to your website so that these tasks are easier.
Building a business (especially one that’s self-sustaining) can be difficult, but there’s always help available to you.
If you want the most bang for your buck and you aren’t interested in spending hours maintaining your sizable WordPress site, we recommend both managed WordPress hosting services and partnering with a support and maintenance company that is available 24/7.
The post WordPress Support & Maintenance: Need Help? Here’s How To Get It appeared first on SeedProd.