I’ve pretty much retired from website development projects. I previously shared why I retired my pet websites, and I already sold all of the geodomain names I developed over the years (Lowell.com, Newburyport.com, Burbank.com, and several other smaller projects). The only websites I continue to operate are Embrace.com and DomainInvesting.com, and I intend to keep it that way.
Website development can be a challenging job. The owner needs to design the website and ensure the functionality is perfected to achieve various goals. The owner also needs to be sure the website is secure. Not only does the owner need to protect company and customer data, but also be sure the website isn’t sending spam and doesn’t get hacked. This isn’t always easy, but it does require regular attention.
I have used WordPress for many of my websites. It’s a great platform that is relatively easy to use. Even so, the WordPress base package, website themes, and website plugins require regular updates to stay secure. Usually the updates are completed quickly without any issues.
This morning, I made a couple of seemingly easy WordPress updates to this website. I saw the website theme needed an update, too. I thought about emailing my web developer, but I decided I would update it on my own. After all, it is one of the most popular website themes and I figured there was a pretty good chance it would be just a button push to complete. Well, I was wrong. There were some major visual issues on the front end of the website and a couple of errors showing on the back end.
Fortunately, I work with a great web developer – Tim Atkins from Walnut Hill Design. Shortly after reaching out to Tim via email to let him know what I did, he called me and let me know he would take care of the issue. He addressed the visual issue already and will be addressing the other internal errors shortly.
There are some good financial reasons why domain investors might want to operate websites. I wrote about the business launched yesterday by Joe Styler. I also mentioned other investors who operate businesses as well. It’s nice to have additional revenue streams to supplement the domain investment business. Domain investors who go this route need to realize there aren’t many side gig websites that can be set up one time and forgotten about.
One piece of advice I would give to people interested in launching a business or website is to connect with a reliable web developer. It should be someone who is communicative and preferably in your timezone or close so they respond to issues in a timely fashion.
Great point.
Recently I was bidding out a WP design work to several companies. I laidout the tasks and jobs clearly along with all the plugins I want used.
I asked a few questions about ongoing support, if issues come up in the future. I was surprised two of the designers didn’t really any packages in case something goes wrong with the website.
One of the designers gave me options they have for ongoing support though. That is a big part of her business.
Needless to say, I know who I am going with for this WP website. 🙂
Why do they include credits at the end of a movie?
The purpose of end credits is to show appreciation to the members of the crew who helped create the film.
This should be included in the websites…who the developers, the hosting company, etc etc etc
It adds more credibility!!
Stop using wordpress. That is your problem. It only leads to endless WP version and plug-in updates, compatibility problems, and troubleshooting.
Most websites run on WP.