It takes quite a long time to build a WordPress website that you can be proud of and that’s only the start. For a WordPress website to be functional, responsive, and optimized for the search engines, it needs some maintenance and that is best performed by a professional company.
With expert WordPress maintenance services los Angeles bloggers, retailers, businesses, and more can rest assured that their platforms are secure, updated with the latest themes, and works the way it should. In this guide, we explore the top 8 maintenance tasks that you should perform in 2022 for your WordPress website.
1. Create a Backup
One of the most important maintenance tasks that WordPress web owners can perform is the necessary backup of all files. In 2021, many websites were hacked with some suffering costly downtime owing to a lack of the necessary backups. Professional maintenance services will apply the latest backup plugins to restore your entire site in minutes should anything go wrong. You can install the backup plugins such as BackupBuddy or Updraft. Expert maintenance will include running regular manual backups to ensure all plugins are working correctly and remotely saved.
2. Performance
A necessary part of keeping the website up and running is to ensure that the site is compatible across devices and browsers. Many people who design their own sites don’t pay too much attention to this type of compatibility; however, a new theme or plugin might cause the website to misbehave or lack responsiveness when accessed on different browsers. Customers or online visitors will leave your pages to go to a competitor if they cannot access your pages.
3. Update Plugins and Themes
Keeping plugins and themes updated is essential for maintaining the performance and the security of the website. Professionals will test new plugins and theme updates before applying it to the new website. This is a simple way to determine its compatibility before applying it to the live website.
4. Find Broken Links
Finding broken links is an important part of maintaining website health and satisfied customers. A broken link usually results in a 404 error or takes customers to a page that no longer exists when the link is clicked. You can use a plugin such as WPMU Dev to find broken links that you will need to manually repair.
5. Check Forms for Good Performance
Testing forms is a necessary part of keeping the website performing well. By checking that the forms on the website are working the way it should, you can detect underlying issues related to plugins and even hosting services. A common fault is failing to send out emails to your subscribers because of a problem with email provider services. By taking the time to ensure that your forms work, you have peace of mind that your online visitors are experiencing the full performance of the website, creating a positive impression.
6. Complete a Content Check
Using platforms such as Google Analytics, you need to assess the overall quality and performance of the content on your website much like conducting an audit. The purpose of using analytical content auditing or checking tools is to see which pages are doing well, where the weaknesses lie on the site itself, and where you’re lacking the desired conversions. By improving factors such as keyword density, you can improve the performance of the affected articles.
7. Check Your Database
All of your WordPress settings, logs, and user comments are stored in the database. Over time, this very database can accumulate unnecessary files that take up storage. When your backups are affected, it can negatively impact the ability to upload and download content and complete successful backups.
By removing unnecessary files and data, you may even notice improvements in overall performance of the database.
8. Keep Images Optimized
Websites are all about creating eye-catching appeal but when images on the website are too large, it starts to slow the website down. All images included on the site should be of the same size and quality to ensure that every page loads and displays content quickly.
Image optimization plugins can be used to ensure that every image you upload to your website is properly displayed and meets the necessary dimensions.
Keeping Your WordPress Website Optimized
When you consult with a professional for your WordPress website maintenance Scarborough businesses and bloggers can rest assured that every aspect of their site is secure, runs smoothly, and provides an outstanding user experience. From updated plugins and optimized images to backed up files, by keeping the website expertly managed, you can continue to appeal to your customers, drive traffic, and make those desired conversions.
