Question:
Have you ever gone to your company's website only to realize that all you get is the WHITE SCREEN OF TERROR? Fortunately, unexpected website downtime is not something that you'll have to worry a whole lot about IF you are on a website care plan.
Is Website Downtime Inevitable?
Let's face it, website "downtime" is a part of life for a lot of businesses. Websites are all built on software, and software needs to be updated regularly. This is because the software must stay up to date with new technologies and patches for the latest security concerns. Sometimes pieces of the software (like plugins, CMS versions and themes) get outdated and conflict with each other, causing a website to (cue spooky music) CRASH.
Just yesterday I had a website go down because of a plugin update that had a conflict. Typically this does not happen in the first place since updates first take place on a STAGING SITE in order to weed out any issues. But sometimes there are still conflicts on live websites. Since that client has a Monthly Professional Care Plan which includes UPTIME MONITORING, I was notified about the downtime immediately and fixed the issue within just a few minutes. The client only knew about the issue because I let him know shortly thereafter. He was VERY pleased to know that his website (which drives clients into his clinic) is in good hands.
Uptime Monitoring is one of the many new features that are included in the monthly care plans. Included are features like DAILY OFFSITE BACKUPS, CONTENT UPDATES, and MONTHLY WEBSITE CARE REPORTS. Learn more about monthly care plans HERE.
Hosting Matters.
Now, websites STILL go down from time to time for server maintenance, but that is why I recommend a PREMIUM HOSTING PROVIDER like WPENGINE which I recommend. You even get a FREE SSL with the base level package ($300/year). If you are unfamiliar with SSLs, they make shared information on your website secure to give your client peace of mind. A nice perk to SSLs is that Google is now ranking them higher on their search engine!
Exciting Times for Hatcher Designs.
There were a lot of GREAT Value-added enhancements that have come to the Website Care Plans in the past few months, so I hope that you're business is taking advantage of these benefits. Learn more about Hatcher Designs, Hatcher Digital's art arm HERE.
Robert Joseph Hatcher
Hatcher Digital Owner / Web Designer / Consultant