Table of Contents
WordPress – no doubt, is an excellent CMS. If you talk about WordPress open-source nature, support for 3rd party integrations, and design flexibilities, it has left its competitors far behind.
However, if you’re new to WordPress, basic maintenance routines can help you keep WordPress error-free. It would help if you considered how WordPress site maintenance works.
Let’s explain the subject in more detail.
WordPress Site Maintenance Basic Tasks
WordPress Dashboard
As we all know, WordPress is an open-source package. Once you have finished installing WordPress for the first time, you’ll need to look at the WordPress defaults in the dashboard.
For example, see the sample posts, pages, plugins, and default users. Remove them to start maintaining WordPress from scratch.
For more information, see this tutorial.
WordPress Updates
The WordPress platform, its assets, and 3rd party scripts are growing. Once you have started a website, you’ll need to see if:
- A theme, plugin, or 3rd party custom scripts need updating.
Updates in WordPress are super crucial for reasons such as security breaches. In this case, outdated tools may carry loopholes. If updates are not correctly deployed on time, hackers can attack, breach, and take over your WordPress website.
Themes, Plugins, and 3rd Party Scripts
Note: Install necessary plugins, themes, and third-party scripts right after you start a WordPress website. This keeps your site secure, streamlined and updated.
Here is a basic overview of how you can use WordPress assets.
Themes
Themes help WordPress beginners design their sites. So, if beginners can design site layouts without learning how to code, you need to know how WordPress themes work.
Plugins
Plugins refer to small scripts in WordPress. These scripts are designed to extend WordPress functionality without learning how to code.
3rd Party Scripts
Such scripts are not available on WordPress official plugins directory. Instead, custom scripts are available on a vendor’s official resource once purchased. You can also build your custom scripts if you know how to proceed.
Default Data
As described above, WordPress’ new installs include default data, such as themes and plugins.
After installing WordPress, visit the Themes, Pages, and Posts pages to remove the default data. This helps you keep your site clean, ready to work, and error-free.
Spam Comments
Once your site grows over time, spam comments increase.
Some plugins help you automatically flag spam comments. Spam comments are not valuable, conversational, and meaningful. Instead, random Internet users use spam comments to create backlinks to their resources – one of the shady SEO tactics most spammers use.
To see which comments are flagged, visit the page for the specific plugin you’ve installed for spam comments. If you have never installed a plugin, visit the WordPress native comments page for more information.
Take Backups on Time
One of the regular site maintenance tasks is taking periodic backup packages. Backup plans help users restore a WordPress site in case of disasters.
Taking site backups is easy. Use a plugin like Up Drafts Plus in WordPress. The plugin’s point-and-click interface helps beginners quickly take site backups.
Moreover, the plugin also helps users restore site backup plans. So, in this case – without learning how to code, site backups are a matter of clicks.
Live Traffic
Live Traffic is the number of users your site gets in real time. Fortunately, you can see what requests seem dangerous in WordPress.
The WordFence plugin helps you see if your site’s traffic includes dangerous hits. You can also use WordPress maintenance services to monitor your site.
So, having an eye on live traffic helps users:
- Block suspicious users
- See which IPs are behaving abnormally; WordFence can help you block IPs
Note: Premium features are available in WordFence premium. For a small fee, WordFence can help you manage WordPress security without learning or undergoing complex maneuvers.
Website Scans
Attackers may exploit hidden malware to gain malicious intent as your site becomes popular. In this scenario, scanning WordPress for possible malware can help.
In this case, online scanners can help you scan your site for malware. Some tools are free, and some are paid and provide extensive features.
Monitoring and Management
Site monitoring is a separate domain that requires technical expertise. In WordPress, you have various options.
Here is why site monitoring is essential for WordPress users:
- You can prevent cyber attacks before affecting your site.
- Site monitoring ensures your site usually behaves according to what users expect.
- Site monitoring is how to check if your site is up and running.
- You can monitor website traffic logs. This can help you determine whether your site is dealing with suspicious users.
- Site monitoring can prevent data loss. You can take periodic site backups, and restoring the site can help you efficiently perform disaster recovery if something goes wrong accidentally.
If you need to be more technical, you must be more concerned about website monitoring. Our plans help you monitor WordPress, perform basic to advanced maintenance, and take site backups for a small fee. See our WordPress maintenance plans for more information about our products and services.
Final Thoughts
WordPress maintenance is a complex routine, especially for those who need to gain knowledge of the WordPress infrastructure.
However, in this resource – we have outlined the essentials for WordPress maintenance. Using the suggestions above, users can prevent basic errors, perform WordPress maintenance at a basic level, and take site backups.
Keep learning, and proceed further with advanced studies on how to manage WordPress websites, including:
- Hardening WordPress sites with or without tools
- Scanning WordPress core files for malicious codes
- WordPress custom development That helps you prevent errors, speed up WordPress, and automate site security
- Avoid plugin conflicts if you are running multiple plugins, sites, or custom web applications on WordPress
- Ask for support if your hosting infrastructure needs updating, such as PHP upgrade
Note: If you need to learn how to proceed, don’t change anything, such as WordPress settings. For more information, we’d love to help you explore, try, or buy our premium support plans.