In our previous article we had a look at the most likely causes of your website being broken. Today we will consider proper website protection through website maintenance..
We identified the following causes for website failures.:
- Out dated or incompatible Plugins
- Hosting Company’s server restrictions
- Incorrect Hosting Plan
- Too much traffic
- Code Errors or poor coding not conforming to industry standards
- Domain errors
- Hacked website
- Website attacks
- Virus attacks
- Lack of maintenance
- Hardware failure
With this knowledge we can now consider website protection approaches to address these problems and even aim to avoid them as far as possible. At WebScripto we believe in the conventional wisdom of prevention is better than cure.
Whilst it is impossible to assess the physical quality of a hosting company’s hardware (point 11 above) or to exercise any degree of control over which hardware they use it is important to understand the different server hardware types that can be used. For example, Solid State Drives (SSD) may be a better and far more reliable option than a Hard Drive Disk (HDD). Not only does SSD servers accommodates modern CPU’s (Central Processing Unit) better than the older HDD, it does not rely on moving parts or spinning disks. This reduces the chance of hardware failure significantly. Knowing whether a specific hosting company uses SSD technology over HDD is simply a matter of paying attention and asking the necessary questions. This interesting article illustrates the differences between SSD and HDD.
In respect of the possible causes for a broken website listed from 1 to 10 above it is possible to manage them with website protection strategies. WebScripto offers a maintenance plan with ultimate website protection in mind to address these and other concerns that may possibly affect your website.
WebScripto developed a maintenance package to address all the above causes of website failures. This website maintenance package consists of immediate, daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly actions includes the following:
Initial website maintenance actions:
- Installation of premium security software (including a firewall)
- Installing premium backup software.
- Installation of Google Analytics.
- Setting secure passwords.
- Complete initial security scan.
- Complete initial backup of website on remote storage.
Daily website maintenance actions:
- Backing up of website and database on remote storage using premium software
- Monitoring website uptime.
- Performing manual security scanning.
- Remove spam comments (if comments are allowed).
- Physical security scan of website and supporting server files.
- Viewing firewall reports and take immediate appropriate action where needed.
Weekly website maintenance
- Ensuring all pages on the front end of the website are loading without errors.
- Complete backups are performed weekly and stored off site (including WordPress Core Files).
- Update Content Management System software and plugins.
- Check all forms to ensure they are working properly.
- Review and resolve any issues with emails sent from the web server.
- Check and remove spam comments, form submissions and user accounts.
- Scan for and fix any broken links.
- Check for 404 errors and resolve these by fixing links or redirecting.
- Preventing access to blacklisted IP addresses.
Monthly website maintenance, and reporting on website protection strategies
- Check website loading speed and optimize where needed.
- Review security scans and resolve any issues.
- Review website statistics. (Google Analytics report).
- Furnishing client with monthly Google Analytics report with a view to distinguish between content that leads to higher and lower website traffic.
- Complete report on state of website security.
- Report on usage of server resources and removal of unnecessary server side logs.
Quarterly website maintenance and reporting on website protection strategies
- Review website – establish where improvements can be made.
- Web Graphics and photos – establish whether they are up to date and/or whether they be improved to be more current.
- Check website content – establish whether it is dated and in need of updates.
- Review and tweak meta title and meta description tags.
- Test and tweak forms and automated messages to improve conversion rates.
- Test the website to ensure that it looks and displays properly on the most popular browsers and mobile devices, specifically new and updated browsers.
- Validate the code/scripts on the website. (CSS/HTML, Accessibility, Mobile-friendly)
- Check backup health by restoring the most recent backup to a separate web server.
- Check the uptime logs. If uptime is less than 99.9% then consult with web host. Consider alternative web host if they can’t provide a solution.
- Establishing and reporting any software upgrades to your hosting company’s server.
As you would have noticed, our website maintenance plan goes beyond keeping your website up and running. The maintenance plan also includes recommendations of areas of your website that may be improved upon based on visitor’s behaviour on your website’s specific pages.
You are welcome to contact us if you would prefer to keep your website safe and in tip-top condition. We are looking forward to assisting you.
- The Importance of Web Accessibility - 15th April 2023
- The Importance of Website Maintenance: Keeping Your Online Presence in Top Shape - 13th April 2023
- Engage prospective clients with blogposts: - 24th February 2023