Once I launch my WordPress site, do I still need my web developer?
Our clients experience once they launch their new website built with the WordPress platform, the do reduce their dependency on their web developer in order to keep their site updated.
If your WordPress site is mostly used as a blog and informational site, then a lot of the maintenance issues can still be solved by the website owner or a non-technical administrator. But if your site required a lot of customization during the building process and provides lots of functions besides blogging, then you may want to leave the website maintenance to your developer.
Do I need to perform maintenance on my WordPress site?
We get calls from folks all the time with concerns because they have logged into their WordPress Admin site and they see messages telling them their are updates that need to be complete. Again, depending on the complexity of your website, you may or may not want to take action on these messages.
Some site owners will never want to perform these updates or wait until the next site redesign, because their WordPress site was highly customized. And that’s OK. Not acting on the alerts will not effect the functioning of your website.
If you have connected Google Webmaster Tools to your WordPress site, check the messages from Google on a regular basis. Google is sending alerts for WordPress site owners when an upgrade needs to be performed for security reasons. Use this as your guide when immediate action is required.
What if I do my own WordPress Maintenance?
Worst case scenario, if you decide to clear the update alerts yourself, by going into the WordPress admin panel and clicking on all the update buttons, you could erase customizations that were added to your website during development. You are the business owner, its your site, you decide the level of risk you are willing to take.
