You’ve paid to set up your WordPress website, then something changes. A width shrinks, a widget moves or a contact form breaks. Then you have to pay someone to fix it.
It’s frustrating, isn’t it!
So why does it happen?
Old websites were a set of files that never changed, but there were problems with that:
- They were hard to edit, so they often contained out-of-date information.
- You probably had to pay a web designer to edit the pages.
- They looked bad on mobile phones and tablets.
WordPress does so much more than the old websites and you can edit your site yourself. But there’s a cost to that.
WordPress uses core software, themes (for layout) and plugins (to do clever things like slideshows, contact forms, social media share buttons). There are thousands of themes and tens of thousands of plugins, and they all have to work together. They also have to work with different browsers, mobile devices, server operating systems and software, and programming languages. When one piece changes, other parts have to change too. It’s very complicated. So the WordPress core, themes and plugins are constantly releasing updates to:
- Close security loopholes
- Fix errors
- Display well on new browser versions and mobile devices
- Keep working with the new versions of other plugins, themes, operating systems and programming languages that are being released all the time.
Most Wordpress plugins are created for free. Sometimes their creators abandon them and they break.
And sometimes one WordPress plugin breaks another.
The upshot is, your website needs maintaining.
The good news is, Webhive does a lot of this work for you. This is included in your hosting fee:
- Updates are applied to the Webhive Wordpress multisite daily, often as soon as they’re released.
- The Webhive multisite runs special security software that fends off many thousands of attacks per day.
- Webhive only installs plugins that are well-reviewed and well-maintained at the time of installation.
- When one plugin breaks the websites, I find and remove it.
When a plugin or theme breaks, I usually find out very fast. If you have unused time on a current service agreement I will:
- Fix or find a solution for layout issues resulting from theme updates
- Fix or find a solution for issues resulting from plugin updates
- Forward emails about broken links on your site
- Remove spam comments and spammers who subscribe to your website
Sorry, I can’t fix issues that require work on your website unless you have an agreement with me. It’s beyond my capacity to guarantee the WordPress core, themes or plugins. But I’d be very happy to talk to you about service agreements, or to offer service at my standard hourly rate and invoice you periodically.
Thanks for reading :)
Jackie Stallard