Congratulations on setting up your new WordPress website! Now that it’s up and running, what’s next? Well, you’ll have to make sure it’s running smoothly, secure and updated regularly. Maintaining your website is another thing altogether and Girls Who Web is here to help! Click this link to learn our monthly support plans.
If you you wish to update your WordPress website by yourself, that can also be done! We have put together a few easy steps to follow to make sure your WordPress website is updated, secured and fast.
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- Schedule a routine check for updating your website
The first thing you need to is to plot a day in your busy schedule to update your website. Make this a regular occurring event so that your website is getting all the TLC it needs. Depending on how your website is built, it is recommended to at least have once a month routine check.
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- Backup Your Website Before and After Making Big Changes
Before you actually look into the updates and make the necessary changes, make sure your WordPress website is backed up! You don’t want to lose the current version of your website because of a glitch or an error. While it rarely happens, we cannot fully guarantee that it WON’T happen. So it is best to be safe and have a backup of your website. After you’re done with your updates, make another back up so that the new changes will also be saved. Better be safe than sorry.
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- Update Themes and Plugins
Now that you have scheduled your website routine check, what do you actually want to look into and hope to find in your website to make sure it’s updated and running smoothly? Look at your Themes and Plugins. There are regular updates to Themes and Plugins that you need to install, which include fix to bug issues, improve performance and security or add a new feature. Your dashboard should show you what needs to be updated.
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- Update your WordPress website
WordPress rolls out updates as well. Similar to Themes and Plugins, they have bug fixes and security measures rolled out regularly so you keep your website safe from hackers and running smoothly. Make sure you have latest version of WordPress. Your dashboard should show if you need to update to the latest version or if you already have it.
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- Check if links are working properly, images are showing properly
Now that you have checked the back-end of your website, you need to check the front-end too! Check the pages and make sure it’s showing the right and relevant information (Yes, we are saying GOODBYE to Christmas deals). Also check if links are working properly – this means they are not leading to an error or a broken page. You also want to check if the fonts are aligned properly, images are not cut-off, etc.
BONUS: An extra step that won’t hurt is to check all your social and online profiles and make sure it’s linking to the correct website URL (and that you are using https://). Adding “s” makes the connection secure and we want that. You also want to correctly track traffic from every source, so that you can make the right strategy!
Usually, these steps are simple enough that someone with basic WordPress knowledge can complete them. It should take you no more than 4-5 hours per month, so if you’re starting out this is a good checklist to get more familiar with your website. If instead you want to outsource this to focus on your core activities, we can help! Website audits start at $49 and monthly maintenance plans that include a 17 points checklist at $149.
