WORDPRESS WEBSITE MAINTENANCE
What is WordPress Website Maintenance?
Maintenance of your WordPress website provides a variety of key services, helping to make sure that you are getting the best from your website. Put simply, we take care of these issues – so you don’t have to.
website backups
Backups of your site include regular scheduled backups from our premium hosting partner, and an additional manual backup to ensure total peace of mind.
website updates
We take care of the backups of your WordPress Core files, your WordPress theme and your WordPress plugins.
website alterations
When you’re ready to make changes, we’re ready to help. Maintenance clients benefit from discounted costs and being first in the queue when changes need made.
Website Maintenance frequently asked questions
Got questions? We’ve got answers!
if you don’t see the answer to your question here, get in touch and we’ll be happy to advise further.
Can we update our own website?
In short, yes. Once your website is built and launched – it’s all yours.
There can be a lot of varying factors in maintaining your website, and understanding all the elements of how it’s been built. For that reason (and others) we’re happy to offer ongoing site maintenance that includes both the technical maintenance and the content updates on elements of your website.
Websites that are covered by a maintenance contract also often provide a backend editor role, allowing you or members of your team to have access to certain elements of your website.
To ensure the best available service, websites covered by maintenance contracts also restrict access to certain elements of your website, so as to ensure that only certain people can make immediate changes to specific elements. We consider this to be good practice on all websites, and protects the initial investment in your website, and the work undertaken to get it performing well.
So, in short, yes. But should you update your own website? Probably best to have someone do that for you.
Can we have someone else update our website?
Yes, if you choose to do so you are welcome to move your website to a different host or maintenance provider. The remainder of your contract period would be continue to charged as normal with Tentmaker Creative.
If you choose to move your site, or have a third party maintain the website on your behalf, then Tentmaker Creative and its contracted parties would not be able to undertake any additional maintenance during the period that a third party is responsible for the website.
It should also be noted that Tentmaker would not continue to offer website backups, or shared access to software and licences owned by Tentmaker Creative, and website owners would be responsible in entirety for their website and all associated maintenance and ongoing support.
Can you update our website?
Yes. We’d be happy to offer a maintenance contract that helps to cover the ongoing support for any website that Tentmaker Creative has built/rebuilt.
Maintenance contracts allow for ongoing technical support on sites to cover any technical needs, and to ensure that website backups are being taken on a regular basis.
What do we need to do to update our website?
A WordPress website works with a combination of Core WordPress files in addition to a theme, plugins, content and additional custom modified code.Â
Each of these elements will need updated on a semi regular basis, dependant on the size and complexity of each site. While the core, theme and plugin files usually need updated to ensure site safety and optimised performance, the content files (text/images/graphics) should also be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that they are as desired by each website owner.
As well as the core elements of your site, it’s also worth keeping in mind the different third party services that may require you to make amendments and updates to your site in order to gain full benefit of their services. These will vary on each site, but typically services like Google will have different criteria that they would like to be met in order to gain full benefit of the services that they can offer.
All websites managed by Tentmaker Creative are manually updated on a regular basis, and are paired with a solid hosting company who can provide ongoing backups and report on any site errors for maximum peace of mind.
Site Optimisation
Having an optimised website means having a site that not only looks good but also works as well as possible.
Site owners often want to update their websites – and they should, but it’s important to have an understanding of what changes those updates may be making to your site. Updating content can be a benefit to the visual aesthetic and the appeal of your site, but if changes aren’t made correctly, then it can also have a detrimental effect on your website with issues such as site speed, broken urls and SEO all having had a knock-on effect.
Consider site maintenance and optimisation as being similar to having an MOT and service of your car. It’s a sensible approach to ensuring a system that runs well and is being actively monitored to reduce the need for crisis maintenance.
What about updating the content of the site?
Understandably, one of the key updates clients wish to make to their websites normally relates to the content, with the updating on content such as images and text.
While this isn’t usually particularly challenging in itself, it is strongly advised that only those with a clear understanding of the website backend take on this task.
While we’re happy to allow clients a level of access with which they feel comfortable, we won’t be able to take responsibility for changes made to the site by a client, or their representative. We would always encourage that a full backup of the website is taken, before any changes are to be made.
The website maintenance packages we offer provide 2hrs work each qrtr, this usually allows ample time for any small modifications or updates to be made, along with updates of the website core files, and an updated backup of the entire website.
What other benefits are there to site maintenance and optimisation?
Making your website better isn’t a goal in and of itself, but it will help you achieve other goals that you may have set.
A website that runs well is increasingly likely to retain visitors for longer, and convert those website visitors into customers of your business, or supporters of your message. Think of the last time you were on a site that was slow or outdated – frustrating, isn’t it?
Of course, the internet doesn’t stand still, and neither should the websites that exist on it. Software updates are a critical part of site security, but software developments also provide the opportunity to make your website better and faster, or to introduce new features.
The internet is also an integrated place – think of how people find your website, or where they go after it. Increasingly, customers and visitors will interact with your message/brand via a third party site, or will head there (social media anyone?) to follow up after having been on your website. Keeping your profiles fresh, and ensuring that your website is optimised for Search Engines can get you (and keep you) well ahead of your competitors.
Don’t worry if you don’t know what alt tags, 401 redirects, schema, mobile queries, CSS or content delivery networks are – we do, and we’re here to help.
Do we need more than 2hrs WordPress Website maintenance per QRTR?
Quite possibly – or perhaps not, it really varies with each client and each site.
2hrs is the typical time it takes for us to have an ‘eyes on’ approach with a website and to make sure that everything is working as is expected. If it’s not, we’ll fix it and let you know.
During that 2hr period we’ll also make sure that updates are applied, backups are working and that your website is running well. If you’ve got changes you want to make to your website we’ll also try and get those applied – normally quick updates to text or images. Where it looks like the changes you would like to make are going to take more time, we’ll let you know what cost that is likely to be before we undertake the work.
WHAT’S COVERED IN TENTMAKER’S WEBSITE MAINTENANCE?
Maintenance packages are designed to meet the core needs of each website, while providing the flexibility to amend, update and grow each site individually.
Maintenance packages from Tentmaker Creative covers:
- Premium WordPress Hosting, usually provided by Siteground, Flywheel or WP Engine.
- WordPress Core Updates.
- WordPress Theme Updates.
- WordPress Plugin Updates.
- Ongoign review of website security.
- Website Backups.
- 2hrs maintenance coverage per qrtr, 8 hrs annually.
- 20% discount on all additional billable hours for web work.
- Shared license to premium WordPress themes where applicable.
- Shared license to Premium WordPress plugins where applicable.
What's not covered in a WordPress Maintenance Package?
Domain Costs
The domain for your website is usually renewed every two years and is managed by your domain registration company. The domain can be renewed for a longer or shorter period should you wish, but most clients opt for biennial registration.
Domain registration costs vary per domain but are usually around £25-£50 per two year period. We are happy to register (or renew) a domain registration on behalf of clients.
Site Exclusive Plugins
Some websites will require premium third party plugins or external developers to assist in functionality specific to your own website. Where this is the case, the website owner will be responsible for the costs of renewing the appropriate license for that plugin, if and where required.
Where we can, we will always aim to develop sites that don’t require a third party premium plugin service, out with the licences already held by Tentmaker Creative. Use of third party plugins is normally recommended in circumstances where the alternative cost would be deemed to be much greater.
Hosting costs
Usually with Siteground Web Hosting or WP Engine, because we consider them to be the best WordPress hosts available.
Additional Hours and amendments
Each maintenance package covers the initial 8 hours needed to perform the immediate technical updates and monitoring of your website overly a yearly period.
Additional hours/days of work for any further amendments or additions are charged at cost for each website.