As anyone with a litany of half-built websites can tell you, follow-through is important. Even after finishing a site, you can't simply leave it alone, not if you expect it to function for long.

Follow-through, in this case, means maintaining your site through diligent effort. The whole point of technology is to simplify and automate. Rather than spend all your time micro-managing, you want to look for a dedicated WordPress maintenance package.

A solid package includes everything you need to keep your current site functional and to future-proof it bit by bit. Additionally, you want a maintenance package that keeps you and your client's information secure.

What do you need in a maintenance package and where do you go to find it? All will be answered below. 

WordPress Maintenance Package

Like WordPress itself, WordPress website maintenance packages offer a lot of variety, allowing you to select what works for you. 

This approach not only saves you time and effort but allows you to focus on the important aspects of YOUR site. 

When considering a WordPress website maintenance cost, take a look at the FAQs to get a sense of what is offered and what people don't know to look for. 

Core Program

WordPress, at its core, updates regularly. The more stable the platform, the fewer problems that are likely to arise on top of it. That said, changes to the foundation often cause ripples up the line that software engineers can't predict.

Keeping things up to date starts with knowing the core. From there, it is a matter of understanding how changes might affect everything else. The most straightforward maintenance package starts with looking for updates at the core and tracing those forward to maximize efforts.

Features and Plugins

Customization comes at a sometimes steep cost. The ability to build your site from the ground up to do exactly what you want it to do is great, but the various features and plugins you use aren't necessarily made to work together.

Even if they work now, future updates might snap some unseen line of code, throwing your whole site into disarray. In other user scenarios, an older version of a plugin works when upgrading step by step but not when jumping to the newest version.

Themes and Appeal

One of the toughest decisions in making a website is the aesthetic. You want to choose something that matches your brand while being visually appealing and easy to optimize.

Over time, new options come up and trends take shape. If you use templates and themes to construct your website, you may find the author of the template going in a different direction or abandoning a theme altogether. 

Keeping themes up to date affects optimization and enhances your appeal. You want to stay consistent in your overall look but always want to make certain the functionality remains true. 

Links

The web works on and through links. You depend on other sites linking to you, be that a search engine, associated content, or ad buy. When those links don't work, your enterprise suffers.

Checking through thousands of links for typos and breaks is no way to spend your time. Improving your links with frequent maintenance boosts your SEO while keeping visitors and associates in-funnel.

Security

Cyber security is the battlefield of the 21st century. Like previous battlefields, there is an arms race between defenses and weapons. The big difference is that you need to protect your property (information, accounts, and the site itself) as well as visitor information and transactions.

The first line of security for the website is to have a robust backup and storage plan. This component of a maintenance package creates redundancies of the site so it can be restored from an earlier state quickly. 

Next, you want comprehensive scans for malware that slows performance and viruses that look to strip information out or use your website for other purposes.

Finally, a security package needs to have ways to alert you when something goes wrong, so that you provide visitors and clients with full transparency. 

Speed

Malware actively slows down websites. However, it's hardly the only concern when it comes to keeping your website optimized.

Site speed is a complex issue that requires constant monitoring. Whether it is broken elements in the backend or improper formats for content, every time you update the site, you run the risk of crippling your loading time. 

While frequent visitors might be willing to put up with a few extra seconds, first-timers and Google spiders are prone to passing by.

eCommerce

If you run a store through your site, the encryption and protection of financial information need to be at or exceed industry standards. The shopping process also needs to integrate with postal and delivery services to ensure address confirmation. 

While there are standard elements of a WordPress page, they benefit from testing and frequent upgrades to avoid becoming security threats. 

Linked to your storefront is the need to use cookies to save shopper progress and offer options for storing and recalling purchases. Ensuring that costs for shipping and thresholds for shipping cut-offs are listed and updated as the cart changes are crucial. A shocking 65% of consumers quit out of a transaction when they experience unexpected shipping costs.

Domain Renewal 

A popular website, especially one with a catchy name, needs to be on the ball with domain renewals. A whole branch of opportunistic, unscrupulous types called domain snipers work to scoop up expired domains. 

Domain renewals are typically annual and should be easy to remember, by like so many annual events, it only takes forgetting it once to suffer in perpetuity.

Maintain to Dominate

In the end, your WordPress maintenance package needs to fit your needs and cover your bases. 

Packages list costs in hours of work, offering a flexible alternative to flat rates. You use what you need and roll over the hours into the next month, allowing you control and peace of mind. 

For more information about costs and time frames for your WordPress site, drop us a message.