In this blog, we’re lifting the lid on website maintenance essentials.
If you’re a small business owner this is a must read as we cover exactly what you need to have in place to protect one of your biggest assets – your website.
The benefit? Your website will be less susceptible to hackers AND you’re less likely to have any issues with your domain renewals or lost revenue due to your website being offline unexpectedly.
It’s also important to note that there have been some recent changes in this space in Australia relating to your ABN and your website domain which we cover below.
Website Maintenance Doesn’t Need to be a Burden
We know running your own business means you wear a lot of hats. And the last thing you want to be told is you have more tasks on your to-do list.
But there is good news. Firstly, you don’t have to be a tech expert or have any coding skills to have the systems in place to protect your website. And secondly, it can be outsourced.
Website Maintenance 101
So, what do you need to do properly maintain your website?
Here at Brisbane Digital Co we’ve rounded up our top 3 website maintenance essentials:
- Regular Updates to WordPress, Theme and Plugins
The majority of the websites we build and manage on behalf of clients use the WordPress platform.
Being an ‘open-source content management system’ there are hundreds of thousands of third-party developers who create the software and features available to use on your WordPress site.
So, as the software continually gets launched and refined new updates are released. You’ll want to ensure you’re running the latest versions of:
- WordPress,
- Your theme, and
- Any plugins installed and active.
Why? Developers roll out updates to fix any glitches or ‘holes’ that could potentially allow hackers to get in.
Benefit? Running these updates reduces the risk your website will be compromised, but also means your website is running smoothly (ie. Fast!).
- Run Regular Backups
Now, when we say regular, this doesn’t need to be daily. In fact, we actually advise against daily website backups, especially if you only rely on the automated server backup
While these might sound good in theory because of the high frequency (they are typically run daily), the challenge is that by the time an issue is detected, the only backup of your website you’ll have is the corrupt one, which is no help to you.
How frequently should you run website backups?
The ideal frequency for backups will depend on the nature of your business and how often you make changes to your website. For most small business once a month, or even once a quarter is more practical. And if you’re paying someone else to do it – this means you’re not spending unecessarily but still have a solid form of protection in place.
- Ensure Your Domain is Registered in Your ABN and the ABN is active
Firstly, make sure that your domain is registered to an ABN that you own. You’d be surprised to hear how many small businesses whose domains are not actually registered to them.
Secondly, domain registrar’s will only renew your domain if your ABN is active. This is a new requirement and they are monitoring it closely!
If your ABN is not active, you only have 30 days before your domain will be void, so you’ll need to act quick.
In the last few months, we’ve had a number of clients almost lose their domain because it wasn’t registered in an active ABN. Fortunately, we’ve been able to act swiftly and submit the relevant paperwork so they didn’t have any website disruptions.
How do I check what ABN my domain is registered to?
- For .com or .com.au domains, go to: https://whois.auda.org.au/
- Enter your website URL in the ‘lookup address’ field
- Once results retrieved, look for the registrant field (towards the bottom)
How do I check if my ABN is active?
- Go to https://abr.business.gov.au/Search
- Type in your ABN in the top right corner
Outsourcing Website Maintenance Brisbane
Now, some business owners are confident to do these things themselves, while others prefer to outsource to a trusted third party. Here at Brisbane Digital Co, our website care plans ensure all of the basics – and more – are covered for your peace of mind.
Yes, there is a small cost for our website maintenance program (our client care plan) – but this is nothing compared to the cost or stress if you had to rebuild your website from scratch. Not to mention the lost revenue during the recovery process!
Client Care Plan Inclusions
Here at Brisbane Digital Co, we can look after your website maintenance needs. Our affordable client care plans include:
- Updates to WordPress, theme and plugins on a regular basis
- Website and database back up
- Checking for irregular files (“hacker” files)
We can also provide specific advice as to how frequently these need to be run for your business. Get in touch today.
Website Maintenance Tips for Small Business Owners
Make sure that you – or your website administrator – are running the latest updates and conducting a regular backup.
Contact us to find out how we can look after all your website maintenance needs.
