What happens to a website after launch? Domain, hosting, updates and backups
Handover day is a good day: everything works, it looks good and the first enquiries are coming in. But a website is not a leaflet you print once. Underneath there are parts that need renewing, updating and checking. Here is what they are and how much they really take.
Domain and hosting: bills that are easy to forget
The domain is the website address, such as yourcompany.com. Hosting is the server the website runs on. Both are usually paid once a year. For a small business website that is typically between a few dozen and a few hundred PLN a year in total.
Trouble starts when the invoice goes to an old email address or to the previous developer's account. An expired domain means no website and no business email. After the grace period, someone else can register the domain, including someone who will then want to sell it back to you.
The SSL certificate, or the padlock in the browser
The certificate encrypts the connection to the website, and the browser then shows a padlock next to the address. Without it, Chrome and Safari warn visitors that the site is not secure. Few people click on after that.
Today certificates are usually free and renew automatically. Usually, because the automation can stop working after a server or domain settings change. That is why someone should get an alert before the certificate expires.
Updates: why you cannot skip them
All software has bugs, and some of them let attackers break into a website. The makers of WordPress and its plugins release fixes regularly. A website nobody updates becomes an easier target every month. Attacks on small websites are rarely personal: bots scan the internet for known vulnerabilities.
Websites built with Next.js and a headless CMS have fewer moving parts, but they also use libraries that get security fixes. The difference is how often and how risky, not whether updates are needed.
An update can also break something, for example a plugin that no longer fits the theme. That is why you make a backup before every larger change and check the website afterwards.
Backups you can actually restore
A backup is only worth as much as a successful restore. A good backup:
- Runs automatically, without anyone having to remember it.
- Is stored somewhere other than the website. A backup on the same server disappears with it.
- Covers the content, images and database, not just the files.
- Is test-restored from time to time, so you know it works.
Silent failures
The most expensive faults are the ones you cannot see. The contact form stops sending messages after an email change, and for a month nobody knows enquiries are being lost. The website goes down on a Saturday night, and the first sign is a call from a customer on Monday.
Monitoring helps here: a bot checks every few minutes that the website responds and sends an alert when it stops. As for the form, simply test it once a month.
Do it yourself or with help?
You can do everything above yourself if you have some time. Outside care makes sense when:
- Nobody in your business knows their way around websites.
- The website brings in enquiries and every day of downtime costs money.
- You prefer a fixed monthly fee to looking for help every time something breaks.
Want to talk about your website?
See the service: Website care, or write a few sentences about your business.
