Top 4 things you’ll need to maintain your website

Sep 30, 2023 | Business, Web Design and Development

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Website Maintenance: What You Need to Know

TL;DR version

If you only have a few minutes to spare to read
  1. Domain – register your domain name (yourwebsite.com) and make sure to renew when the registration expires so you don’t lose it. How will you lose it? Someone can register to own your domain when the registration expires.
  2. Website Hosting – this is where your site will live. The choice depends on what you’ll need for your site.
  3. Admin access (you User name and password) –  Make sure you remember the email address used to add you as user/administrator so you can easily reset the password if you forget.
  4. Website Maintenance – if you use Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, or Wild Apricot for example- they will handle any updates such as security, code updates. If you own a site that is self-hosted like WordPress (not WordPress.com) or Drupal – you need to make updates for plugins, themes, or core updates.
TL;DR means (Too Long; Did not Read) —used to say that something would require too much time to read- by Merriam-Webster. Longer more detailed explanations can be read below.

Domain

Domain is the name of your website- www.yourbusinessname.ca- for example. Ideally this is the name of your business but it doesn’t have to be the same. I chose monicadesigns.ca because my business is in Canada and my last name may be difficult to remember.

WHERE TO GET DOMAINS:

If you are in Canada, head to GoDaddy Canada and use their search function to find a domain. Other popular providers are NameCheap Google Domain, even Shopify. They all have a search bar where you can check if the domain name you want is available or not.
PRICE: Price varies but typical price for a domain is around US$ 15.00. This needs to be renewed every year so be sure to renew or use the automatic renewal setting somewhere in your account. So you don’t lose your domain! They usually have some promotion going on so you can get these for maybe $1. Yes that’s one dollar. But only for the first year. Get it cheaper if you register for two years.
PRIVACY: Make sure to check if the price of the domain includes domain privacy. This is VERY important. This hides your personal information on the domain registration. Go to ICANN website for example and search for a domain. If there is domain privacy, your name and other information is hidden.
WHAT I USE: GoDaddy, Web Hosting Canada, Porkbun

Admin access - Your user name and password

Ask your developer if you can access the site. Can you login and edit your website? If you prefer to leave this to them, I strongly advise you check if you are the main administrator of all the accounts used in making your website. Sadly there are creeps out there who may lock you out. Yes it has happened.

WHAT I DO: Who really can remember all their user name and passwords? So don’t feel bad if you keep forgetting. You can create a digital list – on your phone, a document on your laptio or go old school and keep a password notebook. This is a thing! Check it out on Amazon or Etsy.

PRICE: Free if you make it yourself. You can use software like 1Password, LastPass, or Google Passwords.

Website Hosting

There are so many website hosts out there. And just as many comparison articles which one is the best.

WHAT I USE: I use Web Hosting Canada because I want the server location for my website to be in Canada. Why? If the website server (location of the site) is located in Canada, your data is protected under Canadian laws. I’ve been with WHC for around 6 years and so far I am happy with them. Other popular hosts are Flywheel, Siteground, Bluehost, Dreamhost, PlanetHoster and many others.

NOTE: The link to WHC above is an affiliate link. If you use it to signup, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is the only affiliate link on this page.

PRICE: For simple websites, the cost for the initial year will be about $5/month. WHC GO plan should be enough at $3.89/month the first year. Check the plan’s features to see if that is enough for your needs. You will also need additional service like email plan so you can make email addresses. If you will use large files that will be housed in your account check the account’s storage capacity. If you think your site will get hundreds of thousands of visitors, consider getting a dedicated server to avoid the site from loading slowly.

Website maintenance

Ask your developer if you can access the site. Can you login and edit your website? If you prefer to leave this to them, I strongly advise you check if you are the main administrator of all the accounts used in making your website. Sadly there are creeps out there who may lock you out. Yes it has happened.

WHAT I DO: Who really can remember all their user names and passwords? Don’t feel bad if you keep forgetting. You can create a digital list – on your phone, a document on your laptop or go old school and keep a password notebook. This is a thing! Check it out on Amazon or Etsy.

PRICE: Free if you make it yourself. You can purchase digital download of password tracker sheets on Etsy and print as needed.

If you prefer a digital solution, you can use software like 1Password, LastPass, or Google Passwords. There are security phrases you’ll need to create, like in 1Password, but it helps. Google Passwords is free with your Google account. You will need to remember your password to your account though. But at least you only need that ONE password.