WordPress is one of the most widely used content management systems on the planet. Did you know that WordPress powers 26% of the world wide web? It holds approximately 59.4% of the CMS market, available in 62 languages, and is more visited than Twitter. (Stats from Digital.com)
There are many common mistakes that are made when deploying a new website. Let’s take a look at a few of them and a simple way to resolve each one.
Too Many Plugins
This is a problem that is easily avoided with planning and proper execution. Too many times 45Squared sees customers who have installed nearly every plugin available in the marketplace to achieve one simple task. Installing plugins without testing them in a secure environment, can leave your website open to attacks. While security is important, many people value speed. Installing plugins slows down your website by requiring queries to hit your database over and over again. The more queries, the longer the page load. The longer your page takes to load, the more customers will leave.
The Fix
Take time to carefully examine your plugins. Before you install one decide whether or not you need it. Research the plugin for known security risks. If you already have plugins installed take a few moments to go through your list of plugins and delete the ones you do not need. If you are worried about maybe needing it in the future, just disable it for a month and come back to it in a month.
Creating and Managing Backups
Backups cannot be talked about enough. In today’s day of ransomware and other cyber security threats, the cost of recovering your data can be staggering. Having a proper disaster recovery solution is critical to your business. When it comes to your website this is as easy as taking a backup of your database and files on a set period. At 45Squared we recommend nightly for any e-commerce business and weekly for any other website. These periods may need to be adjusted depending on the nature of your business.
The Fix
At 45Squared we setup backups for all of our clients automatically when you host your website with us. This is handled on the server side so that there is no extra plugins required. If you are not hosting your WordPress website with 45Squared, we recommend BackupBuddy (ithemes). BackupBuddy allows you to backup your WordPress instance to a variety of destinations including: Amazon S3, Dropbox, Rackspace Cloud, FTP and email!
Ignoring Updates
This common mistake is one that can end up costing you more money in the long run. Failure to update the core WordPress software or any plugins is a sure fire way of creating security holes as well as potentially rendering your website unusable. The longer you wait to upgrade your software, the harder it will be to upgrade and, the more problems will arise when you finally do decide to upgrade. Old versions of WordPress aren’t always compatible with newer plugins which could render your site unusable.
The Fix
While WordPress will update its core software for you automatically, this only applies to minor version releases. At 45Squared we upgrade the software for you on a monthly basis as part of your web hosting agreement. If you are not hosting your website with 45Squared we recommend logging in at the beginning of each month and working through any upgrades that might be required.
Not Utilizing a Staging Environment
A staging environment is an exact replica of your live website that resides on in a non production area. The non technical version of this is: a copy of your website that isn’t live. Staging websites are good for all of the other common mistakes mentioned in this article. It gives you an exact copy of your website where you can make changes and preview them before bring it into production. Some websites do not need staging environments but at 45Squared we recommend them for any large e-commerce website to ensure business continuity.
The Fix
Contact your web host today to setup your staging environment. There are also many plugins that will build a staging environment for you. 45Squared recommends utilizing a completely separate hosting environment as well as database server to ensure that there are no conflicts with your production website. If your current host is unable to provide you with a staging environment contact 45Squared today for a free estimate.
Using Cheap or Bad Hosting Companies
Keeping costs down is a crucial aspect of every business. Running your WordPress environment in a cheap web hosting environment is like installing a cheap furnace in your house and expecting to have a cheap heating bill. No matter what you do your website will never run correctly and, you will constantly run into problems. Your website is often times the first thing your potential customer sees when they research your business. Do not let this be ruined because your web host is experiencing down time or hasn’t properly tailored your server for WordPress.
The Fix
45Squared specializes in hosting WordPress in an enterprise grade cloud environment. With a 99.8% up time guarantee, we ensure your website is always running. We are constantly monitoring your WordPress insance to ensure that is running at peak performance. While other companies may turn on your hosting and let you work, 45Squared works with you day by day to ensure that you have everything you need. Don’t waste your time looking at other web hosting providers. Only 45Squared has the technical and practical experience to ensure that your WordPress website is hosted properly without you having to lift a finger.
We provide free migration services as well as free estimates. Contact us today if you need help!
Do you know of another common mistake when deploying a WordPress website? If so, let us know! We would be happy to provide a solution for any problem! Please share this article if it has been helpful for you!