What happens the morning after your website goes live? We will talk about everything you need to know to grow your website. Topics include backups, SEO, security, content creation, blogging, tips to get people to your site, and more.

1. What to do Post
Launch: How to care
for your brand new
WordPress site
Michele Butcher-Jones #WCSAC
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19

2. Who is Michele Butcher-Jones
• Lead Support Specialist
at Thrive Agency
• Master Geek at Can’t
Speak Geek
• Lead Org for So. Illinois
WP Meetup
• Beginners and advanced
WP Instructor
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19

3. Websites are not a
build and forget type
of projects.
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19

4. What does all of this
mean?
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19

5. Domains
• Your domain is the URL or name you use for your
site
• It is purchased through a domain registrar like
GoDaddy or NameCheap.
• Your domain is connected to your site’s hosting IP
so when someone types in the domain, it will show
you your site from the files and database that lives
in your hosting
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19

6. Hosting and Servers Info
• A hosting company rents you a part of one
of their servers (or a whole server
depending on plan) to hold your websites
files and databases.
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a way for
you to look up your files for editing, adding
or deleting without having to use your
hosting login
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19

7. Logging in for the first time
• You will need your username and password
• The default login page isYourSite.com/wp-
login.php
• Once logged in, it will take you to your
dashboard which is found atYourSite.com/
wp-admin
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

8. Site Settings
• There are many options that you will need
to get familiar with in the Settings area.
• Please check that your permalinks are set
correctly, your site is being seen by search
engines, and the time is set correctly to
start.
• It is always a good idea looking through all
of the site settings to get a better
understanding of the layout
@michele_butcher
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19

9. Your Media Folder
• Your media folder is what holds your
images, videos, PDF,s and sharables you
keep on your site.
• Each media item will have its own unique
URL that you can use anywhere on your
site to show that particular media item.
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

10. Post vs Page
• A page is something that typically stays the
same on your site.
• Examples of pages are the home page,
contact us page, and the about page.
• A post is where you share your news and/
or stories that is always being added to.
• You can think fo them as mini-chapters
in a book or a news feed. Posts are
what makes a blog site a blog site.
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

11. What is a theme?
• Themes are what makes your site “pretty”
• It is what shows the colors and layout of your
site.
• One can use a pre-built theme out of the box,
customize a pre-built theme, or have one
custom built.
• A child theme is a set of files that adds special
code to an existing theme so when the parent
theme has an udpate, you will not lose your
custom coding when updating it. @michele_butcher
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19

12. What is a plugin?
• Plugins assist with the functionality of a site.
• Plugins can be unitaskers or multitaskers
• The more plugins you have on your site,
the slower it can become.
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

13. Popular Plugins
• Jetpack - It is an all in one plugin with many
features ranging from help with social
media to image optimization and backups.
• Akismet - It helps to keep spam comments
at bay.
• Yoast SEO - For your SEO needs
• WP Rocket - It helps make your site
perform better
• Gravity Forms - For any forms on your site.
@michele_butcher
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19

14. SEO
SEO Plugins can aid in your ranking on search
engines
• Yoast SEO
• All in One SEO
Search Engine Optimization is the magical
force that helps your site rank on search
engines which make your site easier to find.
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

15. Have a content
schedule if you run a
blog on your site.
Regular content posting will help with SEO, give you
more Google love and keep your clients/customers/
readers interested in your website.
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

16. Update the site as soon as
any information changes
So often a website will have incorrect hours of
operation, sometimes they move and do not
update information, or change product and do
not update their site.This can cause a drop in
business.
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

17. What do I need to do
with my site to keep it
safe?
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

18. Update!
This is the single, most important task for
maintenance. Many updates are due to security
vulnerabilities being found and fixed.
It is easier and cheaper to have a maintenance
schedule than it is to clean a hacked website.
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

19. Security
• Use a security plugin such as iThemes Security,
SiteLock,WordFence or enable Brute Protect and
Vault Press on Jetpack
• Use a virus scanner like Sucuri’s Site Check or
VirusTotal
• Regularly check your website for anything out of
place
• Regularly Google your site information
• Use Google Webmaster Tools
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

20. Backups
• Nothing is ever permanent if you have a backup
• Always backup before you make changes
• Keep the backups somewhere other than the
server
• Some of the hosting companies have this feature
built in
• Popular Plugins
• BackupBuddy, UpDraftPlus, BackWPUp
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

21. Maintenance Helping
Plugins
• Jetpack Site Management
• iThemes Sync
• ManageWP
• Infinite WP
• WP Remote
• WP Dash
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

22. Maintenance Service
Companies
• Thrive Agency
• WPValet
• MainWP
• 13 Core
• Maintainn
• Satellite WP
• WP Security Lock
• WPMaintainer
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

23. Always pay attention to
the front end of your
website
You know your site the best and with regular checking
of the front end, you will spot differences quicker.
Updating can change how things look on the front end
of a site and go unnoticed if not inspected.
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

24. The security side of not maintaining
your site
• Without updating core, plugins and themes
the site can become vulnerable
• A site can be hacked and be used for
various different bad things
• When you do go to update after many
versions have been released, it could break
your website
• You can lose all of your site’s files and data
@michele_butcher
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19

25. The business side of no
maintenance
• Loss of traffic and interest in the site which
can lead to less business
• SEO drops significantly when a site does
not receive regular updating of information
and adding content
• Could have old, outdated information,
products or services that could confuse
customers
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

26. Want to learn more?
• codex.WordPress.org
• WordPress.tv
• WPBeginners
• WP Sessions
• WP 101
Check out the internet!
There are many sites that can help you!
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

27. Questions?
@michele_butcherhttps://mlb.pw/wcsac19

28. Thank you!!!
Michele Butcher-Jones
CantSpeakGeek.com
ThriveAgency.com
@michele_butcher
Slides can be found at
https://mlb.pw/wcsac19