There as on why many freelance Word Press developers specialize in Word Press, is for its simplicity in the set-up process. It’s very easy to set up a Word Press website and you can do it with little or zero coding skills. However, this does not apply to the management level of Word Press. Whether it’s a personal blog, medium enterprise, or an online store, all require a significant amount of time and resources for upkeep. You need to understand that, it’s an ongoing process to cater for the day to day changing needs of your clients.
Many clients will complain about the amount offered in Word Press management package because they don’t understand the amount of time and numerous resources that go into maintaining a Word Press site. This post helps to break down all the nitty-gritty that goes into managing a Word Press site.
If you decide to do it yourself and not hire a Word Press developer, there are some complicated tasks such as regular Word Press backups and security issues that may end up causing you a lot of problems if not done properly. Performing a backup on a WordPress website is a delicate process that requires a developer. It is important to show your clients backup automation processes before setting them loose. This helps a lot both to the client and the developer. I once had a great problem with a client for simply ignoring this fact and that is what drove me to write this article that shows you what your clients need to know when running a Word Press website.
Why is this important?
For website development experts who know the amount of work that goes into running a simple website, you shouldn’t assume that your clients also have the same knowledge. However, this depends on the type of services you provide as a Word Press designer for hire. Your work won’t end the moment you hand over the website to the client, as you will have to make follow-ups and provide WordPress support services once an issue occurs. To reduce the constant queries and maintain a good working relationship, it’s good to teach your clients a thing or two before leaving them on their own. For starters, give your client hints on the type of problems they may likely come across on a usual basis when managing their websites. Another great thing to do before handing over the site to the client is to automate any essential site management tasks.
Since I am talking about Word Press management, the process is quite simple since there are many automated key tasks that use both the default functionality and plug-in. Although different clients have different needs on developing a website from scratch, most of these practices are beneficial to any type of website. With no further ado, here are four things that your client needs to be conversant with before they are left on their own.
- Create a Style Guide for the Website
A style guide of a website allows the client to follow certain criteria when creating content for publication or in case of any technical problem. This helps with consistency as all who work or contribute to the website will have this information. This is why many thriving companies have style guidelines as part of their Word Press website management process. Here is an example of style guidelines:
- Write all articles in second or third person
- You should not use competitor’s links
- Articles should not exceed 1500 words
This applies to a content publishing company. This works well in an organization that has numerous team members or contributors. It gives straightforward guidelines that apply to all the team members. Before handing over the finished project to the client, such guidelines give them suggestions on how to keep their work consistent. Of course, it is upon the client to decide, but you can offer effective suggestions since you have worked with numerous clients and know what will work or won’t work.
- Provide a Checklists for Key Processes
Remote Word Press is pretty much beginner-friendly; however, it can be frustrating when dealing with CMS for the first time. To make your clients have an easy time with it, give them a simple checklist for key processes that they can go back to, for clarification in case a technical issue arises. Word Press depends on plug-ins and other extensions for extra functionality. Obviously, clients may want to install a new plug-in into their Word Press site and with no technical skills to do this, they will end up having technical challenges in the future. To prevent this, you can write down such a checklist:
- Check whether the plugin has been updated for the last one month and whether it is compatible with your current version of Word Press
- Check out for the plugin’s reviews to see whether the previous customer has a good experience with it. For negative ones, see if the reasons are genuine enough to cause alarm
- Back up your website
- Install and activate the plugin
- After activating the plugin, confirm whether it’s working as it ought to
If your client has technical skills, you can ask them to install plugins on a staging site to avoid technical problems. If they are not quite knowledgeable, it is not advisable to suggest this as it may further complicate the problem.
- Automate Vital Tasks on the Site
When managing WordPress site, tasks that are done manually on a site pose various complications that may end up breaking the client’s site in the worst-case scenario. To prevent this, it is advisable to offer automated solutions if possible. One such task is performing a backup. This complicated task is very useful in protecting your site. However, when done manually, it can increase the threat further instead of eliminating it. By automating backups, you make it easier for both of you, if a threat occurs. This doesn’t leave out experienced Word Press owners, as everyone is prone to human error.
- Enforce Robust Security Standard
Word Press popularity has made it susceptible to malicious threats and attacks from cybercrime. For this reason, you need to re-enforce and tighten its security. They don’t just target large enterprises, but also small personal blogs. Everyone should put multiple firewalls for maximum security. Mention to your client about passwords – they shouldn’t use the same password in multiple accounts since this will make it easier for hackers to crack it.
Conclusion
Being a WordPress freelancer, I know how much work goes into creating and running a website. Therefore, you should take your time to ensure that everything is running smoothly. Word Press is quite intuitive compared to other CMS out there. If you equip your clients with these simple but effective guides, you’ll both have easy times in the long run.
