There are challenges of running a WordPress website
Often people ask us is WordPress a good platform for me to use? The answer, of course, lies in the answer to the following questions:
– Are you going to maintain your WordPress website?
– Do you know where to host your WordPress website?
– What do you do to prevent spam and / or brute force attacks?
Open Source V. Closed or Proprietary Platforms
Overall, the use of a WordPress website is NOT a burden. In fact, it can save a lot of time and resources when compared to using a closed platform [in which you do not own any of the underlying code base]. Or, if you were to have a custom website built, the cost of keeping a custom website up to date and secured. That can run up a pretty hefty price tag. Not withstanding, using WordPress as a CMS can also carry some costs. Though not as high as a custom or closed solution. Nonetheless, here are some things to consider when you are moving towards the use of WordPress as your primary platform.
Ongoing Maintenance of a WordPress Website
Again, if you invest in a WordPress website the burden of maintaining it falls completely on you. What this means is that upgrades to your plugins, theme(s), and core files & database version need to be addressed on a regular basis; and by regular basis I DO NOT mean once a year. Rather, regular upgrades need to be conducted minimally once a month. Now, this also means you would need to have regular backups [ideally daily] so that in case of some issues arising, you have a fresh backup to roll back to.
A relationship with a WordPress service provider is key to maintaining your WordPress website. We at Nicasio Design provide ongoing support for many of our clients. It gives them peace of mind knowing their websites are optimal and secure all year round. Note – how you address compatibility issues is also an important WordPress maintenance item to consider as not all WordPress plugin and theme authors keep their products up to date and fully compatible with the latest database, WordPress, and host PHP versions.
Hosting a WordPress Website
There are hundreds of so called web hosting platforms / services, but only one originates from the folks who created WordPress. That hosting service is WPEngine. Hands down the best hosting services for WordPress we have worked with, and at this point pretty much require our clients to use it. WPEngine is not only a world class and super stable platform, but they offer things like free SSL, 24/7 support, and an extensive knowledge base. If you have not heard of them, look them up. Point of consideration; they offer a free website migration [do it yourself] tool, which makes moving to WPEngine a synch. Highly recommend!
Brute Force Attacks Are Still A Thing
What do you do to prevent spam and / or brute force attacks? If you are maintinaing your own WordPress site, please note that because WordPress is such a popular CMS platform it is also the target of hackers. There is no 100% secure anything in the web. WordPress can be made pretty secure, but don’t let anyone sell you on a 100% water tight premise. Things like login attempts monitoring, disabling comments when not needed, and I would add removing account creation and password resets as WPEngine allows for login from within its UI and those allowing you to hide or remove access for the general public. The latest WPEngine update has remove ALL PLUGINS which would write to HTAccess file. Super genius move by WPEngine.
Need Help With WordPress?
Nicasio Design has been helping clients for 17 years now. Read our reviews and Contact Us for some one on one time.