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Optimization 101 – 3 Essential WordPress Maintenance Techniques

Over the last several years, it has been an unwritten requirement for businesses to have a website. Without a website, it is practically impossible to tap audiences and customers who rely on the Web to find information, products, and services they need.

Fortunately, there are various options for creating a website. You can have a website custom-developed, or use one of the open-source content management systems (CMS) available today.

WordPress is possibly the most popular CMS widely used by businesses from different industries. In general, it can be simple to use and customize. WordPress offers a good starting point for business owners who want to get a website up and running in no time.

But, when your WordPress website is not maintained properly, you expose yourself to hackers across the globe.

When developed and maintained well, a WordPress website can effectively meet the general purpose of having a website: brand awareness, conversion, and sales. Whether you already have an existing WordPress site or currently planning to create one, here are the maintenance tasks to know and keep in mind to make sure that the website stays in shape.

 

Update Plugins, Themes, and WordPress Regularly

It is necessary to update WordPress whenever a new version is released. This is because with every update comes security patches that address known vulnerabilities that can compromise your website’s safety and security.

Often, there are new features added to the WordPress core as well. These features make the CMS and your website easier and more convenient to use. Overall, WordPress updates provide a better user experience for you and your website visitors and users.

Meanwhile, plugin updates are also needed for fixing bugs that may otherwise compromise the reliability and stability of the WordPress core. These updates make your website less prone to human errors. Updates also give protection against hackers and malware.

 

Back Up Your Website Regularly

It is highly recommended that you regularly make backups of your site. It’s also especially necessary to do that before you make any changes, particularly if it has something to do with the WordPress core. You should also back up when updating plugins and WordPress itself.

Why is backing up so important? Just imagine how much time, effort, and money you’ve spent to create your WordPress website. What will you do if something goes wrong and everything disappears, forcing you to revert to the original website and build from it again?

True enough, it will be an absolute fiasco if you don’t have a backup of the latest version of your website. No matter how nearly perfect today’s technologies are, something, somewhere might still go wrong, and it’s vital that you’re prepared for such an unfortunate scenario.

 

Remove Unnecessary Plugins and Themes

Updating plugins and themes is important, and so is uninstalling unnecessary ones. Some plugins make your website more user-friendly while others, such as those meant for SEO, help you in the back-end.

On the other hand, themes help improve appearance and navigation. However, if there are plugins and themes that you have not used for some time and are unable to maximize, then you might as well take the time and uninstall them to free up some space and avoid confusion.

If you’re looking for a WordPress Maintenance Service to help speed up and secure your site, get in touch with us today! We have extensive experience in modernizing and improving WordPress sites.