Monthly WordPress Maintenance Packages: Are They Worth The Investment?
May 15, 2014 - 5 minutes read - Blog, Infographic, Website DesignSilicon Republic called 2013 “The Year of Living Dangerously,” given all the security breaches and scams. Over the past year numerous WordPress security breaches have occurred, leaving many webmasters frustrated and vigil. Last May, a large botnet with more than 90,000 servers attempted to log into WordPress by cycling through different usernames and passwords. Events like this remind us that it’s simply not good enough to create a website and let it sit idle.
Is Your WordPress Site Vulnerable To Attack?
“Normal security procedures include regular updates of the WordPress core files, plugins and theme files,” said Peter Armstrong, a hosting firm representative from Ireland. “In addition to this, we also recommend WordPress administrators change their login username from the default ‘admin’ username, use very secure passwords, and install the ‘Login Limits Attempts’ plugin or other WordPress security plugins.” He added that other security risks include inactive themes that are no longer in use, which become vulnerable portals for hackers.
So, to summarize, your WordPress website may be vulnerable to attack if…
– You haven’t updated your files, plugins or themes
– Your login name is still “admin”
– Your password is a basic word — lacking capitals, numbers and characters
– You have not installed any WordPress security plugins
– You have inactive themes in your directory
A whopping 70% of the top 1 million most-trafficked websites are running older versions of WordPress that are vulnerable to attacks from hackers, according to a study conducted by EnableSecurity CEO Sandro Gauci. Chances are, your site could be one of them!
Dangers of WordPress Security Breaches
Check out this neat infographic by StartBloggingOnline.com to consider some of the dangers and inconveniences of a WordPress hack:
What Do Monthly WordPress Maintenance Packages Include?
Starting at $250/month, Mod Girl Marketing offers a basic WordPress maintenance package with:
- WordPress security updates & upgrades
- WordPress plugin updates & upgrades
- WordPress theme updates & upgrades
- Prompt repair of any WordPress website issues
- Up to 1 hours of support/website changes
- 24 hour response support
- Content marketing recommendations
Other optional add-ons include:
- Spam comment reviews
- Scanning posts and pages for layout problems and broken links
- Keyword analysis
- Traffic analysis
- Plugin consulting
- Blog writing & posting
- Social media linking to a WordPress site
- Social media posting
- Database backup
- Technical support for a hacked site
- SEO consulting
- WordPress website design
For your convenience, packages are set up on a recurring Paypal or credit card payment that can be canceled at any time.
Bottom Line: Is WordPress Maintenance Worth It?
Before you contemplate dumping WordPress altogether for another platform like Joomla, keep in mind that ALL platforms are comparable in their base security. What really matters is the speed in which emerging issues are identified and treated. In that regard, there is no more responsive platform than WordPress.
According to Jason Cosper, the head WordPress Expert at WP Engine, the fact that there are 64 million WordPress websites (and counting) speaks volumes. “WordPress core is secure enough to support that massive user base,” he says, “so it always puzzles me when brilliant developers are unaware how secure WordPress core has been for years.” He adds that “maintaining security is an 0n-going process, and constant vigilance is essential.”
So we would venture that a website worth keeping is a website worth maintaining. Your website is the face of your business. You can’t afford to just “set it and forget it.” If you are like most people, your home is your biggest personal investment. Think of all the upkeep and care a home requires. The same goes for your business website if you want it to remain the linchpin of your online marketing strategy.
