How to maintain your WordPress website once the designer and developer are done making your website. Presented at WordCamp Hampton Roads 2015

1. I Have My WordPress Site…
Now What?
@michele_butcher

2. • WordPress Specialist, Site Cleaner, and
Trainer for WP Security Lock
• WordPress Evangelist for InMotion Hosting
• Geek behind Can’t Speak Geek
• Beginners and Intermediate WordPress
Instructor
Michele Butcher

3. Websites are not build
them and forget them!

4. Learn the steps to care for
your site once the designer/
developer turns it over to you.

5. If you are writing your own
content, be comfortable with
the dashboard when you make
the decision to do it alone.
Ask for tutorials or search the web to learn
before you try to do it alone.

6. There are simple steps
everyone with a WordPress
site SHOULD do.

7. The first thing to remember is
that if you do not click save
at the end, it did not happen.
Save and save often

8. Equally important is
backups.

9. • Always save to someplace OTHER than your server
• Save them to Dropbox, AWS, email, or your local
machine
• Have them scheduled to be made daily or at least
weekly
Backup and backup often!

10. • Backup Buddy
• UpDraftPlus
• BackWPUp
Backup Plugins I recommend

11. Updates are important!
Update core. Update themes update plugins!
The biggest reasons of updates is typically security or feature
related.
The biggest source of nearly all hacks is due to lack of updating.

12. When you see the little red circle
beside the Dashboard button means
you have updates needing to be done
Always make a backup before you update for safe measures.

13. When it comes to updating if you use
Envato products (ThemeForest and
CodeCanyon) always check the box in
the downloads to be notified of updates.
That is the only way you will know if any of their products
need to be updated.
This is why the RevSlider infection was so widespread. Many
did not even know the plugin was built into their theme.

14. Security is an important
piece of maintenance.

15. It is more important to secure all the
things BEFORE something happens!
Many have yet to learn this!
Every single day hackers find new ways to get your information.
Todays features are tomorrow’s vulnerabilities.
Stop them before they stop you

16. • They guess your login information
• Denial of Service Attack (DDoS)
• Through a file in a theme, plugin, or anything on
your server where they found an exploit
• Through your FTP and/or cPanel configuration
How do they get in?

17. There are some simple
steps to keep the hackers
out of your website.

18. Never ever never use “admin” as a
username or “password” as
password on any of the things.
NEVER!!!!
Any questions?
Adm1n and Pa55w0rd do not count either!

19. Only give users the
access they need
Just because they want to be an admin does not mean they should.
Guest bloggers should rarely every be anything more than a
contributor.
Sometimes they do not need access to all the things

20. If it is a temporary login, delete
the user when they are done
doing all of their things
If they do have posts, you can convert them to different users
or make them a subscriber with limited access.

21. Set up file detection to
make sure nothing ever
sneaks in.
Many security plugins like iThemes Security and
WordFence will alert you when files have been changed

22. • iThemes Security (Free and Pro version
• Sucuri Firewall
• WordFence Security
• Jetpack with Brute Protect and Vault Press
Security Plugins I recommend

23. Only keep the plugins and
themes you have active on
your site.
An uninstalled plugin or theme is not a potential vulnerability.
Use the plugins repo favorites option to keep a list
of your favorite plugins

24. Malware Scanning? Do I need it?
• Google Webmaster Tools
• Sucuri Scanner (Built in iThemes Security now)
• VirusTotal
If you feel your site could be infected, first do a malware scan.
There are also plugins that can scan your site manually.

25. When you decide to make
changes to your site there
are some things to consider.

26. Do your due diligence when looking at
new themes and plugins. Do not pick
one just because it is shiny and pretty.

27. Do not add every theme you think is pretty
when you decide to change a theme.
Only keep the theme you are using and
one backup theme on your site.
The more themes that are on a site, the more open
chances you have to a vulnerability

28. Miscellaneous things
your designer or
developer might not
have told you

29. SEO…
SEO Plugins can aid in your ranking on search engines
• Yoast SEO
• All in One SEO

30. Don't ever let your site
get too lonely.
No one knows your website better than you do. Check
on the front end just as much as your backend.

31. If you have questions take
to the web
There are many resources you have at your fingertips that can help
you do more with your website.
• codex.WordPress.org
• WordPress forums for themes, plugins, and core
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Third Party websites

32. There is more than just
WordPress specific
maintenance you should
do.

33. Always use complex
passwords on all
logins.

34. Never use the same
password on all logins.
This is just bad practices!

35. Never email passwords! Put
them in a text document or
use a password manager to
send them.

36. • Last Pass
• One Password
• KeePass
Use a Password Keeper for
all your things

37. If any login has a Two-
Factor Authentication
option, USE IT!
Two-Factor all the things

38. Use an Anti-virus on
any computer you use
Use it on all the things.
Yes, even a Mac!

39. Be conscious when
using public WiFi

40. • Torguard
• Site Social
• Hide My Ass
Use a VPN for all
the public WiFi’s

41. Update!
Update!
Update!
Update all the things!

42. Back everything up
and back it up often!
No one wants to lose their information
stored on their computer.
Bitcasa
Caronbinte
External Harddrives

43. Questions?

44. Thank you!!!
Michele Butcher
CantSpeakGeek.com WPSecurityLock.com
@michele_butcher
Slides can be found at http://mlb.pw/your-site