Your website is a digital storefront, and in some cases your only method of transacting and making sales. So, what happens when it goes down or worse you get hacked.
There is a big misconception happening in the website world that you can’t get hacked? Well that is until it’s done, and you then want to blame the designer or your hosting company.
But what if the problem is all your fault?
I have heard about two clients in the last month that have been hacked due to NO MAINTENANCE being applied to their site. It’s the same old story, you have a website designed and hosted. That’s its right, set and forget!!!
Well that used to be the case but now days with the influx of hackers or a scammers, they are figuring many many new ways to get into your website and cause trouble. Especially if you hold client information or have a shop that they can access personal and financial information via. Today it’s never been more important to have a monthly maintenance package with your Designer / Developers or Hosting company. You can’t blame these companies if you aren’t committed to maintaining the security and integrity of your active website. Old plugins can open nice holes for them to hack you. Staying up to date is now a matter of must, not should.
Plugins are updated by their developers regularly, monthly or even sooner. So even a brand-new site could get hacked.
I find there is an incredible knowledge gap between what your designer, developer and hosting companies do and how they should be used. The simple answer here (without boring you for hours while I explain it all) is, you need to have a checklist that looks like below:
- Design & Develop Website
- This is the part we understand, we see the outcome and can tangibly see our website.
- Make Live via Hosting
- Once your website is ready you need to have it hosted, this simply means the Hosting company is making sure that you page is available for all your customers to see and access your site. Not all hosting companies are equally, make sure you spend your money with a trusted supplier with high “UP RATES” and super fast “Speed” rankings.
- Monthly Updates and Maintenance
- In a Monthly Maintenance package, they will update your platforms, plugins, themes etc. and ensure the security of your site. It’s a must have in the new hacker age. Depending on the company type your Agency, Developer or Hosting company may all have options.If you would like details of hosting companies with Maintenance packaged that we recommend, please let us know. We are happy to share their details. Just drop us a line below.
Who Should or Can Help You Fix It?
Well that’s a good question, the fastest way to get no-where it to blame everyone for the hacking. Best to do some calm investigation to figure out your security hole and fix it. If you have a Maintenance package with your host or website developer then they will be more than happy to help you out, you have been paying them to keep everything up to date. If you haven’t been maintaining the plugins and security then unfortunately its just something that happened to you, like getting a flat tyre or running out of petrol. But your not alone, your developers and hosting companies will be happy to help. If they don’t, then they aren’t the companies for you and there are many great Marketing Agencies and Digital Agencies like BRANDiT that can help.
