What do I need to keep my website and online services functioning?

In this day and age of ongoing subscriptions and automatic payments, you may ask yourself exactly what you’re paying for when it comes to your web services.

There are so many pieces to the web puzzle it can leave your head spinning trying to understand exactly how it all fits together, which is why we’ve kept it simple for you and summarised the core services you need to ensure your website and online systems remain online and functioning in tip-top shape.

What is a Domain Name?

Your domain name is a very important asset to your business. It’s your business name on the web and can come in different variations.

Many businesses will hold both the .com and .com.au domains to ensure their brand is protected. Doing so avoids a competitor having a website with a domain name similar to yours.

You purchase a domain name for a set period of time and it will need to be renewed before expiry. Because domain names can be so valuable to businesses, it’s crucial you renew your domain name ahead of time. Be sure not to let your domain name lapse due to non-payment only to find someone else has snapped it up!

Why do I need Domain Name Services (DNS)?

DNS is the map of all your online services under your domain. Put simply, when someone sends you an email or navigates to your website their device looks up the relevant location on your map and sends them on their way. Without this map no one will be able to find your website or email and no traffic will flow.

What is website hosting?

Website hosting is the physical space allocated to store your website and make the site available to the entire world. Please ensure your host takes, at a minimum, weekly backups of your website because without these you may not be able to recover your website if the worst happens and it crashes or is hacked.

Why is ongoing website support so important?

Ongoing support and maintenance of your website is a very important service which is often overlooked.

Maintaining your website includes ensuring that all plugin updates are installed while outdated and unused ones are removed from the system. Many hacking attempts on websites come from outdated plugins which have been compromised. It is imperative that both plugins and WordPress core updates are completed regularly by a web provider who understands how your site functions.

If you’re managing some of these services yourself for your business, it’s critical you understand what each of them does before giving them the flick. Don’t be too quick to ignore that email you think is SPAM regarding your domain renewal or cancelling your old hosting accounts before asking the question, “Do I know if this is required?”

Argon Design can work with you to ensure that all services remain online during your website build process and you are only paying for the services that are required.

We’d love to chat to you about your website project and show how we can improve your business. Give us a call on 08 8223 3099 or email info@argondesign.com.au to start the conversation 🙂