Now that your site is up and running, you have 3 options for WordPress maintenance as long as you’re the manager of the website.
Option 1
Don’t do anything at all. Forget backups, updates, and spam checks. You spend zero time and zero dollars. Kick back and take a nap with the dog. But you’ll have a much greater risk of something not working, and during your Superbowl special the last thing you want is your online ordering to go down.
Cost: High. When something breaks and you are in an emergency situation, it may cost you $500-$1,000
Time commitment: Zero
Risk of hacking/downtime: High
Option 2
Hire someone to manage it for you on a regular basis. Backups are run before updates, which is standard WordPress maintenance practice. Problems and conflicts are common knowledge for someone managing multiple websites. Working with someone regularly who knows how your website runs and what is connected to what helps ease any anxiety when it comes to WordPress maintenance.
Cost: Medium
Time commitment: Zero, autopilot monthly maintenance will be managed by your WordPress maintenance developer.
Risk of hacking/downtime: Low/Medium
Option 3
Learn how to manage and maintain your WordPress website on your own. Run backups, update plugins, themes, and monitor spam attempts. Take a basic course on CSS edits to make changes to your colors and HTML to change the content. WordPress maintenance can be done more often than monthly if you’d rather.
Cost: $0, if not considering time opportunity costs to your business
Time commitment: High. Find the right courses online, learn the unique aspects of your website, apply and test what you are learning, without disrupting your current working website.
Risk of hacking/downtime: Low/Medium assuming you learn standard practice WordPress maintenance.
So what’s the verdict? Even by not making a decision, you’re making a decision. If you are going to commit to learning maintenance, commit. If not, admit that to yourself, rid yourself of the guilt and worry, and find a developer who can love your site for you. Schedule a call if you’re wondering if I can help you with peace of mind for your WordPress maintenance.
