Whether you’re just starting with WordPress maintenance or have been doing it for years, maintaining your website is essential. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about maintaining your WordPress website.

1. Backup with Backups

Why are backups so important for WordPress maintenance?

Imagine you’ve invested months, or even years, into building your website. From creating unique content and customizing the design to interacting with your visitors, you’ve put a lot of time and energy into it. Now imagine all that hard work is lost due to a mistake or a hacker attack. A scary thought, right? This is where backups come in as a crucial part of WordPress maintenance.

Backups are essentially copies of your website stored safely, which you can use to restore your website if something goes wrong. They act like insurance for your website: you hope you never need them, but if you do, you’ll be glad to have them.

How to create backups:

• Automatic backups with plugins: Plugins can automate the backup process and save you a lot of work. A popular plugin is “UpdraftPlus.” Once set up, you can decide how often backups are made and where they should be sent, such as to the cloud or an external drive. One of the benefits of UpdraftPlus and similar plugins is easy restoration. With a few clicks, you can restore your website from a backup.
• Manual backups via hosting: Many hosting providers offer tools in cPanel or other control panels that allow you to create manual backups of your website and database. It’s a good idea to create a manual backup occasionally, in addition to the automated backups through plugins.
• Local backups: It’s also wise to keep a copy of your backups on your computer or an external drive. This way, you have an extra layer of security if something goes wrong with your online backups.

Tips for effective backups:

• Regularity: The more often you create backups, the less data loss you’ll suffer in case of an issue. Consider how often you update content or make changes to your website and adjust your backup frequency accordingly.
• Test the restoration: It’s not enough to just create backups. You should also test regularly whether you can easily restore your website from these backups.

2. Website Updates

Why are updates crucial for WordPress maintenance?

The internet is constantly changing. New threats are identified daily, and new technologies are being developed. WordPress, as an open-source project, is aware of this dynamic and constantly releases updates that fix security gaps and offer new features. Updates are a key principle of WordPress maintenance.

An outdated WordPress version, theme, or plugin is like an open window in your house — an invitation for unwanted guests.

How and when should you update your website?

• WordPress Core Updates: The WordPress team regularly releases major and minor updates. Major updates often bring new features, while minor updates typically include security patches and bug fixes.
• Before the update: Always create a backup before performing an update.
• Automatic updates: Since WordPress 3.7, automatic background updates have been introduced for smaller version changes and translation files.
• Theme and plugin updates: Developers constantly update their themes and plugins. It’s important to note that not all updates go smoothly. Sometimes they can cause issues or conflicts with other plugins or themes.
• Testing in a staging environment: If possible, test the update in a staging environment. This is a copy of your live website where you can test changes without affecting the live site.
• Read the changelogs: They often provide insights into what the update includes. For larger updates, it’s especially advisable to read the changelog and look out for known conflicts or issues.

3. Protect Your Website from Malware

What is malware and why is it dangerous?

Malware, short for “malicious software,” can come in various forms, including viruses, trojans, and spyware. Its main goals are usually data theft, vandalism, or using your website to send spam. Without malware protection, WordPress maintenance is incomplete.

Steps to protect against malware:

• Basic protection through your hosting provider: Start with a solid hosting provider that offers security measures at the server level.
• Security plugins: There are many excellent WordPress security plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri that provide a firewall to block malicious traffic. They also offer regular scans to check for infected files.
• Avoid nulled plugins/themes: “Nulled” means the license key has been hacked. Such plugins or themes may contain hidden malware.

4. Improve Your Website’s Loading Speed

Why is speed so important for WordPress maintenance?

The speed of your website affects not only the user experience but also your SEO ranking. Studies show that just a one-second delay can reduce conversion rates by up to 7%. Therefore, speed optimization is a crucial part of your WordPress maintenance.

How to improve your website’s speed:

• High-quality hosting: A good hosting provider can make all the difference. Consider switching to a specialized WordPress host for optimal performance.
• Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN stores copies of your website on servers around the world so that users can access the content from a server closer to them. This is especially useful if your website has international visitors.
• Optimize images: Oversized images can significantly increase loading times. Plugins like Smush Pro are very helpful here.
• Reduce external scripts: Some external scripts, like ads or font loaders, can slow down your website.
• Professional plugins for caching and code optimization: A leading plugin like WP Rocket can dramatically improve your website’s loading speed. The paid plugin is user-friendly, making basic optimization easy even for beginners.

5. Monitoring Debugging Logs

Why is monitoring debugging logs important for WordPress maintenance?

Errors can occur on any website, from small glitches to more significant problems that affect parts or all of the website. Debugging logs help identify these errors by providing a detailed record of what is happening behind the scenes. Understanding these logs as part of WordPress maintenance enables you to act proactively before small issues become major challenges.

Tips for troubleshooting with debugging logs:

• Look for patterns: If an error occurs frequently, especially after a particular action, it may indicate the cause.
• Be cautious: Before making any changes based on the errors in the logs, ensure you understand the issue. If you’re unsure, search for the error code or message online or consult an expert.
• Backup, backup, backup: Before making any changes to fix an error, ensure you have a current backup of your website.

Debugging logs are a powerful tool in your website maintenance toolkit. They not only provide insights into what’s going on under the hood of your website but also allow you to proactively address issues and build a more stable, reliable online presence.

It may seem intimidating at first, but over time you’ll learn how to read and interpret these logs, and how valuable they really are.

6. Using Premium WordPress Support

Why should you consider Premium WordPress support?

A website can be as complicated as a car. And just like a vehicle, there are times when you can’t perform all repairs yourself, and you need help from experts for your website. Premium WordPress support offers exactly that – professional assistance to help you get the most out of your website.

What does Premium WordPress support include?

• Technical support: If you run into technical issues or have questions, an expert team is available to help.
• Security monitoring: They ensure your website is protected from malware, DDoS attacks, and other threats.
• Performance optimization: They help improve the loading speed and overall performance of your website.
• Regular backups: Many premium supports offer regular backups and ensure that you can revert to an older version of your website if needed.

Pros and Cons of Using Premium WordPress Support: Pros:

• Time savings: Instead of spending hours or days trying to fix an issue yourself, you can turn to experts who will resolve it in no time.
• Expertise: You’ll have access to a team of experts with specialized knowledge that is constantly updated and on the cutting edge of technology.
• Comprehensive service: Many services offer a complete package, including security monitoring, performance optimization, and regular updates.

Cons:

• Cost: Premium WordPress maintenance is often more expensive than basic support or solving problems through personal research.
• Potential dependence: You may become overly reliant on external WordPress maintenance and forget to learn basic maintenance skills yourself.
• Limited flexibility: Some premium support services may not support certain plugins or themes or may have limitations on what customizations they can make to your website.

Choosing premium WordPress support is like choosing an insurance plan or service contract for a car:
It’s not necessary, but it can save you a lot of time, money, and headaches if problems arise, or if you simply want to get the best performance from your website.

Conclusion: WordPress Maintenance – A Necessity, Not an Option

Digitalization has revolutionized how we live, work, and do business. Your WordPress website is often the first thing people see from you or your business. It’s your digital business card, your window to the world. Therefore, it’s crucial that it runs smoothly, stays secure, and offers the best possible performance.

Maintenance may initially seem like an additional task or even a nuisance. But when you consider what’s at stake – your reputation, the security of your users, your investment in time and money – it quickly becomes clear that regular maintenance is not an option but an absolute necessity.

What we’ve learned in this guide:

• Backups are your safety nets: They protect you from data loss and allow quick restoration.
• Updates are not just for new features: They fix security holes and ensure your website stays compatible with the latest technologies.
• Security is essential: The threats in the digital age are real and ever-present. Your website is only as strong as its weakest link.
• Performance affects the user experience: No one likes waiting. A fast website leads to happier visitors and better conversion rates.
• Debugging is key to troubleshooting: Knowledge is power. Knowing what’s happening on your website gives you the power to act proactively.
• Premium support can be a lifesaver: Sometimes you just need an expert. The cost may be higher, but the value is often priceless.

Finally, we want to emphasize that maintaining a WordPress website is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. Like anything in life, it’s worth planning ahead, educating yourself, and using the best tools and practices.

Your website deserves nothing less than the best, and with the right maintenance practices, you can ensure that it continues to perform excellently for years to come.

Tip: Ecstatic Web offers premium WordPress maintenance at fair prices, with top-notch performance. Feel free to check out our offer for you!