The phrase ‘website update’ might not elicit excitement, but for any business with an online presence, it’s an indispensable aspect that demands attention. Beyond just ensuring the security of your digital space, regular updates are crucial to maintaining accessibility for potential customers, preventing the disappointment of encountering a malfunctioning website. In this guide, I’ll walk you through five essential tips to keep your WordPress website up-to-date, preventing your visitors from venturing into No Man’s Land.
Here are some key considerations to kickstart your website maintenance strategy:
1. Create an Update Plan:
Regularly engaging in updates for the software driving your website is a fundamental practice for your business. Develop a comprehensive update plan specifying the actions to be taken, assigning responsibilities for each task, and identifying team members responsible for testing. Ensure that your update plan functions as a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), designed for execution by any competent team member.
2. Update Out of Hours:
Plan the timing of your website updates during periods of low business activity, such as early morning, late afternoon, or weekends. If team members are part of the process, coordinate the updates within their working hours. Nevertheless, you have flexibility to schedule updates during the least busy times for your business operations.
3. Avoid Updating a Live Site:
Unless your business is exceptionally small and doesn’t receive frequent website traffic, it is advisable to refrain from conducting updates directly on your live website. This caution is especially crucial for E-Commerce platforms, membership websites, or those with substantial traffic. In the presence of regular website visitors, it is recommended to test updates on a staging website initially. Your hosting provider or design agency can assist you in setting up a staging version of your website, allowing you to implement updates on the live site only after thorough testing has been conducted on the staging environment.
4. Backup Before Updating:
Prior to initiating any updates, make certain that you possess a recent backup of your website. For active websites, it is advisable to create a backup immediately before proceeding with the updates. Small businesses can typically suffice with a backup from the last one or two days. Once you’ve confirmed the availability of a backup, you can confidently proceed with the website updates, knowing you have a safety net in place. This backup serves as protection against potential issues or errors, as it can be used to restore your website if any problems arise during the update process.
5. Test After Updating
Upon finishing your website updates, there’s a crucial final step that is often overlooked. Take a few minutes to thoroughly review each page of your website, ensuring that they are displaying correctly without any visible errors. If your website incorporates forms, conduct tests by inputting details to confirm that the information is successfully sent to the intended destination (e.g., your contact form sending an email to your business). This meticulous check ensures that everything is functioning as anticipated.
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