What do You MEAN My Website is GONE?!

This past week brought a very scary scenario to one of my clients. Over the past few weeks, our team have been working with a new client to create a fresh website. It was discovered a few days ago that their old website host had deleted the site before the new one was ready. That made me reflect long and hard about how well I back up my website and what security measures I have in place. Here are some things that came to mind that I think you need to address immediately if you haven’t already:

1) Back Up Your Website – this may be something that you are expecting your web developer to do, or this may be something that you do yourself, but by all means make sure that your website is backed up regularly. ‘Regularly’ will vary depending on how often you make changes to your site, but a minimum would be weekly. If you do a daily blog or have just finished uploading a bunch of new content, back it up right away. In any case, choose your host carefully and make sure they back up their servers regularly as well.

2) Take control – if you aren’t technically inclined, make sure that the person you have given control of your website (i.e. login information, ability to edit and upgrade etc.) is someone whom you trust explicitly. Even then, make sure all passwords and log in coordinates are kept by you in a safe place. You should have the keys no matter who is managing the site. People move on. Relationships fade. This includes access to your registrar account for domain names and your web host account. Make sure you get alerted, or mark on your calendar, when renewal time is coming up and be proactive so nothing expires.

3) Plan Ahead – if you foresee any changes within your company, or if a special event is coming up where you want to make sure your website is accessible, ensure that all those involved with the site are aware of the need and prepared if something goes amiss.

4) Be Adaptable – if for some terrible reason your website gets deleted or lost, deal with it. I don’t mean that to sound cold, but if you need a site quickly while you’re pulling together what used to be on your old site, find a reputable company that can help you out. Announce to your intimate network what has happened and what you need, and ask for help right away. You’d be amazed at how quickly people want to jump to your aid.

It’s usually not possible to predict when tragedy will strike. But we do have a wide range of tools at our disposal to prepare for some things, particularly in the area of technology. Backups and updates should be factored into your daily routine as a matter of course.

Photo: David Castillo Dominici of www.freedigitalphotos.net