This means different things to different people, and with a growing number of services and solutions available it pays to know what this means and why you (probably) need it. In the first instance there are generally two main types of service or solution available when taking about Managed WordPress Solutions.
One is a managed hosting environment where the webhost has optimised their servers for WordPress and the webhost will manage things like WP optimised cache and page speed and will generally ensure their servers provide a superior service to traditional shared webhost. Additionally they will make it simple for you to create cloned sites, mirrors and many provide specialised WordPress management tools. wpmilk does offer this as part of our WordPress Hosting packages.
Having all our sites covered by the wpmilk support plan gives me the comfort of knowing my business will always be online and if not someone will be looking into it and getting it sorted.
Martin Skinner, Vostok Capital
The other type of managed WordPress is what wpmilk does most. This is managing and supporting customers with websites hosted all over the internet. Some are using cheap shared hosts, others have dedicated instances at AWS or Google, others run a VPS at UK2.net, GoDaddy, Crucial, Netregistry or elsewhere.
You might think that if you have your WordPress website online, and you are paying for your webhosting fee’s then there is no reason to be concerned with paying anyone to manage that installation.
You possibly have daily website backups already happening, but what if something goes wrong, do you know what is involved in restoring a backup? Do you know what to check and bugfix if you do need to restore a backup? What happens if your website is hacked and you do not notice for a few days, will the only backup you have be of the already hacked site? Unfortunately business often do not comprehend the problems involved until only after they realise the need to use a backup. Failing to be prepared can result in websites being offline and crucial data and opportunities being lost.
If you are not concerned about the thought of your website going offline for several hours before you realise, for it then to take up to 24 hours for your site to be restored and then to be left on your own to resolve any issues with site usability and functionality then a managed WP service is probably not for you.
If site uptime and continuity is important to you then a WP support plan that mitigates your business risks and insures against the crazy costs of hiring someone after the fact is an essential business investment.
Safety, Security and Peace of Mind
At the very minimum a WordPress support package should provide you peace of mind
- Regular offsite backups of your content and database;
- Website restore if anything goes wrong including ensuring the restore works properly;
- Security and a guarantee of a fix in case of any vulnerability or hack;
- Maintenance and Updates of your WordPress Core Installation;
- Updates of your Plugins and Themes;
- Assistance to resolve issues of incompatibilities or bugs that arise from upgrades;
- Uptime monitoring and reporting, be sure your site is online;
- Help and support in a timely manner if you have any questions.
Failing to maintain your WordPress site and Plugins can lead to serious security issues and hacked sites. WordPress sites are one of the most targeted sites for hacking. Whilst WordPress makes it generally easy to upgrade plugins and themes that can and often does lead to problems. Plugins that used to work alongside your theme and other plugins can start playing up after an essential upgrade. Having a WordPress expert on hand will help you potentially avoid that happening in the first place, or at the bare minimum ensure any issues are resolved much faster than if you were on your own.
A basic WordPress management plan from some companies can be likened to car insurance or car maintenance only, a good WP support vendor will be providing you the benefits of AA membership alongside insurance and regular servicing. The Buddy Plan from wpmilk includes everything outlined above including anytime site restore and the wpmilk hacked site guarantee.
We also provide Business Plans which include content updates, seo support and much more.