When creating a website, the magento Ecommerce agency or Ecommerce development proposes to be your partner to take care of the security, the maintenance, the maintenance of your website thanks to the setting up of a special rate special maintenance website.
The maintenance of a website is sometimes indicated as an option and from experience; we noticed that when it was not imposed, it was almost never spontaneously selected.
Why?
Because first of all, when you want to create a website, you do not necessarily know what the maintenance covers and especially we do not necessarily understand its interest. We are afraid that it is to pay an opaque or useless service. It is not so.
Here is a brief overview of the benefits that make the maintenance and security of a website essential.
What is website maintenance?
As you have a computer you know the importance of maintenance and the need for security because we regularly see security flaws that are immediately corrected. The implementation of security software (antivirus, firewall …) with regular updates, sometimes transparently for you. For a website it is similar because it is linked to a database and runs risks:
- the hosting of the website may be hacked (which may result in the deletion of your site, the massive sending of spam …)
- the installation of your CMS can be infected (infection of malicious programs to your visitors, Blacklistage of your site by Google …)
- the back office or administration interface may be hacked (which may result in the deletion of your user account, the addition or deletion of content …)
Your WordPress CMS is also updated regularly as for your antivirus software to counter the dangers.
A website consists of a theme and also extensions designed and maintained by independent developers, amateurs or professionals. These can be updated at any time, and can address both security issues and improvements.
Your extensions must be compatible with your version of WordPress. Sometimes some extensions are abandoned or are not updated quickly, and lose their compatibility with your website.
It then causes malfunctions on your site, sometimes serious until the blocking of the website! In general, there is not a week on a website without one or more extensions to update.
Sometimes minor and sometimes critical, they require site maintenance or the intervention of a qualified person to:
- Install the new version of an extension without removing the customizations made on the site.
- Check compatibility with the website, on the site locally at the webmaster and online on the site * set the extension again, in the event of a major update (for an e-commerce version for example).
- Downgrade the extension version if there is a problem. Some extensions can be updated quickly and without problems. But others are complex and delicate to update.
Prepare for success
Unless you are a bit original, if you do a site it is for it to be successful. Who would say “no” to more visitors? Who says success, says traffic.
It is therefore necessary to make sure that the hosting of your site can hold a rise in load, in other words that it will be able to answer present if your traffic doubles. And if you cannot be sure, at least answer this question:
What do we do if the site crash? Is there a backup?
You will tell us that traffic does not double overnight and that we always have time to see it coming. And yet…
It is not uncommon for a site’s traffic to peak after a blog article that works well, including increased social media, exposure.
In a crash case, if you do not have a maintenance guarantee, you will end up without a site, maybe for a while. So you will call on a professional for an ad hoc service, which will certainly be more expensive
Guarantee the sustainability of the site
Today, most sites are made with scalable solutions (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc.).
What does this possibility of evolution mean: this means that the content management of your site and its modules will be able to be updated (to improve their performance, make them safer, etc.).
This is an undeniable advantage because it extends the life of your site. However, if you do not make these updates, this advantage disappears.
But these updates are not necessarily so simple as that. Often an update is done simply and smoothly. Moreover, since the last version of WordPress, the process of updating plugins has become even more fluid. But if you encounter an incompatibility, it becomes immediately more embarrassing. Especially, if it takes place on the site that is online.
In this case, we understand the benefit of having a backup to catch up or to deploy the updates on a test version.
When maintaining a website, these procedures are put in place to ensure the integrity of the website.
On a content management, there are three types of items to update:
- The core of content management;
- Modules;
- And the theme of the site.
The theme should also be updated because depending on the features developed, they should be aligned with the new version of the core or modules
Prepare for site migration
During the life of a site, it is not uncommon for it to change hosting, switching from one server to another.
In this case, a “migration” is performed. When your site arrives in a new environment, as much as you say it’s better to be “clean on it”, ie it’s not a gas plant. Simply to avoid accounting problems, mistakes or what do I know yet.
Avoid having your website become a gas plant
Over the years, we sometimes see sites that, as additions of features, look like beautiful gas plants.
Sometimes new features are installed to replace old, become deficient or less evolved. In this case, the maintenance of a website is crucial because it will allow the evolution of the site but also to sort between what we keep and what we throw.
This avoids having obsolete modules and thus allows keeping a stable system. Do not forget that a large number of plugins installed on a site makes it slower. And that says a slower site, says a site SEO penalized.
Application maintenance and corrective maintenance
The epithet contiguous to the word “maintenance” is of great importance.
If you subscribe to application maintenance, it means that your site and its components will be updated. We also talk about TMA (third-party application maintenance).
When we talk about corrective maintenance, it means that in addition to updating the site, we will also correct any new bugs. Indeed, it can happen that with the update of a navigator, appears a display bug. In this case, corrective maintenance guarantees its resolution. This type of maintenance has broader action coverage, so it is usually more expensive.
What if we did not subscribe to maintenance?
The first thing to do is hope that no tile falls on you 🙂 More seriously, you can subscribe one from any webmaster or web agency; or most simply from the person who made your site.
We especially recommend you choose a company that really masters the technical solution you use. Escape the companies that sell maintenance regardless of your technical solution.
When you want to do a good job, you cannot control everything perfectly; even if we can touch everything.
To help you here is an indicative and adaptable list of what includes website maintenance.
• Site audit (functionality, ergonomics, security).
• CMS security updates when version allows.
• Eradication of viruses or malicious files and post-attack recovery.
• Securing the website
• Backup of the website and BDD.
• Updates hyperlinks.
• Installation of new or modified web pages.
• Installation of new graphic elements.
• Updates of the contents (text, photos, …).
• Added banners, texts, logos, photos, videos, music.
• Creation and editing of Newsletters.
• Technical assistance and advice by email or phone.
• Summary by intervention with time spent (email, Google Drive).
In conclusion
Maintenance is a kind of insurance, a guarantee of the good performance of your website but not only; it is also to guarantee its durability. Realizing a site is an investment and like any other investment, you have to watch it, take care of it.
“Prevention is better than cure”. It’s easier to secure your site than to remove an infection. In case of problems, it will take time to recover your site.
If you lack skills or time to do your own maintenance of your website, we recommend you to go through the magento Ecommerce agency or Ecommerce development.
You will understand, the maintenance of a website is part of a risk economy, it is not mandatory but it is better to think twice.
Do not neglect the security of your website!
