Emergency preparedness doesn’t have to only apply to natural disasters. We can take similar precautions when it comes to our website and social assets. Let’s talk about having an emergency plan for your website and how to be prepared if something goes wrong.
1. Know how to contact your web host
You’d be surprised to find out how many businesses don’t have a firm grasp on their web hosting package and provider. Making sure you keep access to your account information, billing, storage requirements, and customer support. This includes keeping records like an updated password and a pin if your host requires it. If you host with us, make sure you know how to best reach us if you notice anything of concern! (Hint, our ticketing system gets monitored every single day.)
2. Know how to log into the back end of your website
For most content management systems, including WordPress, you’ll have a dashboard with access to plugins and other items. In the event of a critical WordPress error, simply disabling plugins one by one while in maintenance mode can help you identify which one is the culprit. If you host with us, we can complete this process for you and get you back up and running quickly (but we also hope to avoid this issue altogether.)
3. Know how to renew your domain
Your domain can sometimes be connected through a different provider than your web host. If this is the case, make sure your credentials work and that you keep your domain on auto renew to prevent your registration from lapsing. This also means keeping a current credit card on file, especially if it has been a few years through the same site. If you’ve taken over a website from someone else, make sure you replace registrant information and billing so your domain is not up a creek without a paddle.
If you know what steps to take in an emergency to ensure your site gets restored quickly, you’ll have peace of mind. If you host your website with us, our ticketing system is your primary line for emergencies! It gets monitored after hours and on weekends with someone ready to hop online to help you. We realize how important having a reliable support system is and want everyone to have answers when it comes to website emergency preparedness.