Regular website maintenance – Don’t let small issues pile up

Over my 20 years of experience, I’ve seen firsthand how small, seemingly insignificant tasks related to website maintenance can quickly spiral into major problems if left unattended. While it might be easy to ignore minor updates or occasional slowdowns when everything seems to be working fine, these small issues can accumulate over time, becoming overwhelming and ultimately harmful to your website’s security, performance, and reliability. The more these tasks accumulate, the harder they become to manage, especially if you’re not a specialist. In this article, I’ll explore why it’s crucial to stay on top of WordPress maintenance to avoid letting minor issues turn into major headaches.

How small problems can grow

WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS), powering over 44% of all websites worldwide. This popularity, however, makes it a prime target for hackers. Although the WordPress core is generally secure, the vast array of plugins and themes available – over 59,000 free plugins and 12,000 free themes – creates numerous opportunities for vulnerabilities. What starts as a simple overlooked update can become a security risk, especially when nearly 40% of hacked sites were outdated.

Regular updates are a critical part of keeping your website secure, but they can also introduce new issues. For instance, from my experience, around 70% of WordPress sites face problems after a major update, particularly older or larger sites with custom features. These problems might seem small at first, but if not addressed promptly, they can snowball into larger issues like the “white screen of death” or critical errors that disrupt your site’s functionality.

The cost of DIY Maintenance

Maintaining a WordPress website might seem manageable if you’re a software developer, security engineer, or have advanced IT skills. But even then, the sheer volume of tasks – like handling over 100 plugin updates annually, testing updates in a staging environment, and monitoring for security vulnerabilities – can quickly consume your time. For someone without specialized knowledge, these tasks can be particularly time-consuming and stressful, taking you away from focusing on your core business activities.

The essential components of regular website maintenance

To avoid the accumulation of issues, let’s explore these essential components of regular website maintenance in more detail:

› Regular updates for WordPress

If your website, themes, and plugins aren’t regularly updated, they can become easy targets for hackers. A compromised site can lead to severe consequences, including data breaches and downtime. WordPress releases minor updates 2-3 times per month and 1-2 major updates annually. It’s vital to carefully evaluate which updates are necessary for your site. Theme and plugin developers also release updates several times a year, especially if security vulnerabilities are discovered. If your site uses 10 plugins, you might need to handle over 100 updates each year.

While automatic updates are an option, who ensures everything still works after an update? Major updates can sometimes lead to unexpected issues, especially on older or larger sites with custom features. Common problems include the “white screen of death” (WSOD), “Internal Server Error,” “403 Forbidden”, and “Error establishing a database connection” errors. Testing updates in a staging environment can help mitigate these risks, but this approach requires significantly more time and resources.

› Updates of the server software

Your hosting provider will periodically update the operating system, PHP, and SQL versions on their servers. Is your website ready for these changes? While a plugin update might cause minor issues, an update to the server software versions can seriously disrupt your site. If a plugin causes problems, uninstalling it might solve them. However, once the hosting platform is updated, you can’t revert to the old versions – they’re no longer supported. Often, your hosting provider’s support team won’t be able to assist, especially if your site has custom settings. In such cases, you might need a WP expert to resolve the issues.

› Backups

Most hosting providers create backups for the websites they host. However, their Terms of Use usually state that these backups are primarily for their own use if something goes wrong with their platform. This means they aren’t obligated to restore your website from these backups. If they do, it’s often as a courtesy and might come with extra costs. It’s strongly recommended to back up your website in at least one additional location outside of your hosting account. This ensures you can restore your site even if something goes wrong with the hosting platform.

› Website health, speed, and performance

Neglecting WordPress maintenance can negatively impact your website’s performance, frustrating users and making them less likely to return – even if your page ranks high on Google. If your website takes too long to load, visitors are likely to leave, which hurts your conversion rates. For eCommerce stores, a slow website can lead to fewer sales and conversions. Users often share their experiences, so a slow site can damage your reputation and sales. Improving your site’s loading speed can significantly boost both sales and conversion rates. Monitoring website speed and performance provides detailed insights, but understanding this data often requires a developer’s expertise. Analyzing and implementing the necessary changes can be time-consuming, especially depending on your site’s content.

› Regular malware scans

Given the potential negative impacts of a compromised website, it’s strongly recommended that your site be regularly scanned for vulnerabilities. Fortunately, many platforms provide this service, some free and others paid. While scanning doesn’t take much time or resources, cleaning an infected site can be challenging and time-consuming, sometimes even impossible. Many security service providers offer site cleaning services, with prices ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the size of the site and the extent of the infection.

And what about WooCommerce and online stores

For WooCommerce and other eCommerce websites, regular website maintenance is even more critical. Your online store is the lifeline of your business, directly affecting your sales and customer satisfaction. Any downtime, slow performance, or security vulnerability can lead to lost sales, frustrated customers, and damage to your brand’s reputation.

Regular updates to WooCommerce, payment gateways, and other essential plugins are necessary to ensure that transactions are processed smoothly and securely. Additionally, optimizing your site’s performance, including page load speeds and mobile responsiveness, can significantly enhance the shopping experience, leading to higher conversion rates and repeat customers. Regular maintenance helps ensure your online store runs efficiently, keeping your business thriving in a competitive market.

When small tasks become too much

The accumulation of small maintenance tasks can become overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to focus on your business. What might start as a few minor issues – an outdated plugin here, a slow-loading page there – can quickly pile up and become a significant problem that impacts your website’s functionality and your business’s bottom line.

Why trust WP experts for regular website maintenance

Recognizing the risks of neglecting WordPress maintenance is crucial. Investing in regular maintenance not only prevents small issues from piling up but also saves you time, money, and the stress of dealing with unexpected problems. If you don’t have the time, resources, or expertise to maintain your website on an ongoing basis, consider trusting professionals to handle it for you. Our team of WordPress experts can keep your site secure, up-to-date, and running smoothly, ensuring that those small tasks don’t turn into big problems. With our maintenance plans, you can focus on what you do best—running your business—while we take care of your website.

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