GOING ON HOLIDAY? HERE ARE 9 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR WEBSITE SAFE AND LIVE

ADVENTURES, WEB DEVELOPMENT | DECEMBER 13, 2017

You’re on holiday for the festive season. So the last thing you’re likely to want to do is have to keep a constant eye on your website.

There are ways to minimise your risk – and your worry levels – before you close down for a festive break. And to still ensure your clientele that you’re there for them.

Here are 9 website and social media tips to prepare your digital presence:

1. Backups are vital

Is your site backed up? If something goes wrong, you would need to have access to the latest version of your site, if you need to reinstall the website. So make your back up before your hols.

2. Is your security up to date?

It’s a good idea to make sure the latest WordPress security, themes and plugins are installed, to make your site as secure as possible against any potential threats.

3. Does your clientele know you’re away?

If your clients start looking for you, make sure they can see easily when you’re available, and when not, by putting the info on your home page. If you are available for emergencies, include your contact details.

4. Not answering your mails? You don’t need to.

But it still looks good if a mail doesn’t go answered for the weeks you’re away on holiday. So set up an auto-responder, including the dates you’re away and available, and your emergency contact info.

5. How do you handle an online shop?

There are plugins available to allow you to simply pause the online shop, without having to take it down (if you have a Woocommerce shop). Through the Woo Store Vacation plugin, your site is essentially paused – with relevant messages telling your clientele as much.

6. What to take on your holiday?

Make sure you have all the logins and passwords with you, as well as the contact details of your digital marketing team (if you have one). If there’s an emergency, you can still access your site or social media from a phone (or someone else’s computer) should you leave yours at home.

7. Look busy, even if you’re not

You can still schedule blog posts to go out over the festive season through the WordPress publish box, by selecting the date and time.

8. Be careful how people can respond to you

If you include a comments feature on your blog posts, either ensure you can moderate them first, or disable the comment feature while you’re away. You could find your posts are spammed if comments are live.

9. Keep your social platforms moving

You can plan a social media schedule while you’re away, by scheduling posts beforehand. Decide how you would like to handle comments while you’re away (for example, will one team member keep a constant eye on the platforms?) If staff or colleagues are to monitor your platforms, it’s a good idea to ensure your social media policy is in place.

Then there’s little left to do, but to enjoy a well-earned break.

From the LoveGreen team, here’s wishing you a wonderful festive season.

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Heather is our content writer. She enjoys helping our clients formulate their message and loves to run her way across beautiful mountains, to explore new places and is always ready for an adventure.

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