WordPress Maintenance
Has your website developer disappeared without a trace? Does this describe your situation? You paid a handsome sum for a new business website several years (or maybe just months) ago and now you can’t reach the company, agency or freelancer who developed it and published it for you.
If you are lucky and you own the domain and maybe even have an admin account to access the Content Management System (CMS), such as WordPress, you could have a go at trying some updates of your own – if you’re a little bit technical or have the time to learn. Or you could look for someone else to fill the void left by whoever has let you down.
That’s where a company offering WordPress Maintenance Plans comes in. This kind of service is cheaper than you think when you use a professional service that specialises in website support and maintenance.
Website developer disappeared but I need to make changes to my website – where do I get support?
I would like to know my website is fully maintained so that it’s protecting my business and my customers from any online threats but I need changes made to my website now – so that all of my business information that’s published online is up to date. What most people don’t realise is that most quality WordPress Maintenance Plans will accommodate this, for no additional cost, by including a set amount of time each month for just this purpose. And if you need more time in any given month, you will just be charged for that ‘extra’ resource at a standard hourly fee.
WPMaint plans include 15 minutes of resource in the Essentials Plan, increasing to 60 minutes for more wide-ranging maintenance plans and our hourly rate is £40, charged in quarter hour chunks so that you only pay for what you use.
What if I don’t have the logon details for my website or domain?
Ideally you’d have been given a user account with a password to access to your website’s dashboard; i.e. its Content Management System (CMS for short). After all it’s your website, right? However many people don’t ask for this kind of access on the assumption that the original developer of the website will continue to support them and stay in touch (and stay in business) – which many do not.
Where does this leave you? If you were lucky enough to be given a set of credentials to access your website’s CMS, and you can share that with us (or generate a new user account we can use), we’ll follow your specific instructions for updates and maintenance. All is not lost though if you don’t have this access. While your website remains online, with its content still being presented in all its original glory, we can regenerate your website from the ground up. Given what you originally paid for it that might sound expensive but it needn’t be.
A typical 5 page website could be recreated, using your original content, for as little as £400. And in the process of doing so, you’d not only have the chance to add to or update your content, it would be a chance to use the latest design software to bring your re-launched website right up to date.
I don’t pay anyone to renew my domain – does that mean I don’t own it?
Do I own my domain?
Many agencies and freelancers will offer you a “full package” when designing your website, which all too often includes them purchasing and therefore owning your domain name ‘on your behalf’. That’s a bit like selling you an office but retaining ownership of the only front door – effectively they can decide whether you continue to get in to your own property.
Assuming it’s not a “website developer disappeared” scenario, and they’re not totally unscrupulous, they will be able ‘release’ (or if it was part of their contract with you, sell) your domain back to you. If that proves to be possible, then rebuilding and relaunching your website is something we can help you with.
If your domain can’t be returned to you, there may be no other option but to use a brand new domain name for your rebuilt and relaunched website. Through our partnership with a leading WordPress Developer we can still help you do this without it costing much more than £400, although you may be less visible to search engines than you once were. But with an accelerated SEO campaign plan, we can get your website back on top of Google’s search results in just a few months.
