There are three benefits to building a website with WordPress: you can update text and photos in-house, you can easily add features such as bookings and contact forms, and it is easy to hand over even if you change web design companies. On the other hand, leaving the core software and plugins un-updated can cause problems, so a setup that entrusts daily backups and regular updates to someone is essential.
Being able to update it yourself is WordPress's biggest benefit
WordPress is one of the systems used to manage websites (a CMS). It is one of the most widely used CMSs in the world. Because so many companies use it, many firms can build with it and there is plenty of information available.
A website starts to go out of date from the day it is published. Prices, opening hours, staff and case studies all change within six months. WordPress is built so that you can rewrite text and photos from the admin screen without any specialist knowledge. You can avoid a situation where every update means asking your web design company and spending time and money.
Five benefits of building with WordPress
- You can rewrite text and photos from the admin screen. No special software is needed
- You can add news items and case studies simply by filling in a form. Each addition is laid out neatly
- Features are easy to add. Contact forms, bookings, multilingual support and more can be added using add-on components called plugins
- It is easy to switch web design companies. Because many firms can work with WordPress, it is easier to find someone to take over
- It is easy to build in a way that performs well in search. You can set a title and description for each page, and structured data can be built in as well
A site built on a proprietary system can sometimes only be modified by the company that built it. Another strength of building with WordPress is that it is easy to hand over to a different company in the future.
Four points to be aware of
If you don't update the core software and plugins, problems and risks remain
Both the WordPress core and plugins are continually updated for improvements and fixes. If left alone, the layout may break or security weaknesses may remain.
Installing too many plugins slows the site down
Adding components just because they are convenient can slow down display or cause components to interfere with each other. Keep only what you need.
If you do the updating yourself, you can't undo a mistake
When editing text in the admin screen, you may accidentally delete something. Without a backup, you cannot restore it.
How the site is built determines what you can update
On a site where the design is fixed in place, you may be able to edit the text but still need to ask the web design company to change the layout order. Before signing a contract, check exactly what you can edit yourself.
Steps for setting up hassle-free updates
A website that causes no trouble with updates is designed for post-launch operation from the very start. Check the following six points before you place an order.
- Daily backups are taken, and you can restore to a specific day
- Someone is designated to update the WordPress core and plugins on a regular basis
- Updates are tested somewhere else before being applied to the live site
- There is a daily morning check, so anything wrong with the display, the SSL expiry date or the server status is noticed
- There is a designated point of contact for requesting text and photo edits (chat, LINE, email, etc.)
- A status report arrives once a month
Not many companies can handle all six of these in-house. The realistic approach is to choose a setup where maintenance can be entrusted as part of the production package.
Choosing based on who handles the updates
| Update method | Best suited to | Points to note |
|---|---|---|
| Doing it in-house from the admin screen | Companies that update frequently and have someone in charge | Backups are essential in case of mistakes |
| Asking the web design company via chat or LINE | Companies that update rarely and cannot assign someone in charge | Check the limit on the number of requests and the cost |
| Combining both | News in-house, page edits outsourced | Decide who does what at the outset |
With Merci Ltd.'s custom-made production, the monthly fee from 3,000 yen includes the server and SSL, daily backups, weekly updates and a daily morning check. Edits to page content can be requested via chat or LINE from a My Page area called Site-factory-pro, with no limit on the number of requests.
When WordPress is not the right fit
In the following cases, it is worth considering options other than WordPress.
- A site that only needs a single page. A dedicated service is simpler
- Large-scale online stores centred on payments and membership management. A dedicated service offers more complete features
- A site that you have no intention of ever updating or maintaining. Since neglect leaves risks, a static site is a better fit
Questions to ask before you start
- Who performs updates and maintenance, and when?
- How many edit requests are free of charge?
- Can the site be handed over to another company after the contract ends?
- Which plugins will be used, and why were they chosen?
- How many days of backups are kept, and who performs the restore?
If a company answers these questions specifically, there will be fewer misunderstandings after launch.
What to check when outsourcing maintenance
To get the most out of WordPress's benefits, it is essential to ask specifically what the maintenance involves.
- How many days backups are kept, and the procedure for restoring
- How updates are tested before being applied to the live site
- The process from spotting a problem to you being notified
- What the monthly report contains
If these four points are settled, you can keep track of your site's condition in-house even after entrusting updates to someone else. Whether there is a point of contact for requesting text and photo edits via chat or LINE also affects how easy it is to keep things going.
How to test ease of updating before launch
Trying out an update in the actual admin screen before signing a contract or launching shows you how easy it is to use. Ask your web design company to let you try the following four things.
- Rewrite one line of text on an existing page, save it, and check how it displays
- Write one new news item and preview it on screen before publishing
- Replace one photo
- Assume you saved something by mistake, and have them show you the steps for restoring the original state
If all four can be handled in three to five minutes, you are unlikely to run into trouble with day-to-day updates. If restoring takes a long time or the explanation is vague, ask for details about how backups are managed.
Suggested approach by update frequency
| Update frequency | Example | Suitable approach |
|---|---|---|
| Several times a month or more | News, blog, case studies | Update in-house from the admin screen, and outsource page edits |
| About once a month | Revising prices and opening hours | Request via chat or LINE |
| A few times a year | Company profile, staff introductions | Outsource it. A maintenance contact point is enough |
Update frequency changes after launch. It may be low at first but will increase once you start seeing results, so it is reassuring to check whether the contract lets you switch your approach when that happens.
A comparison table for choosing a web design company
Even when building with WordPress, how it is built varies greatly from company to company. When comparing potential partners, line them up using the items in the table below.
| Point of comparison | What to check |
|---|---|
| How it's built | Whether it is built with standard WordPress features or with a lot of custom code |
| Admin screen | How much of the text and photos you can edit yourself |
| Maintenance | Frequency of backups, updates and monitoring |
| Display speed | Whether display speed on smartphones is checked with actual figures |
| Search support | Whether titles, descriptions and structured data are set as standard |
| Point of contact for edits | How to make requests (chat, LINE, email, etc.) and how they are applied |
How to check display speed
Enter the address of your own site or one of the web design company's past sites into PageSpeed Insights, which Google provides free of charge, and you will get a rating for display speed. Look at the smartphone rating. It gives you an idea of whether the company builds with display speed in mind.
What to do in the first month after launch
- Log in to the admin screen and try rewriting text in just one place
- Send a test message to yourself through the contact form
- Confirm with the web design company that backups are being taken
- Receive a sample of the monthly report
FAQ
The core software is distributed free of charge. However, the server, domain, design and maintenance all cost extra. To publish it as a website, you need to budget for these costs too.
Because it is so widely used around the world, it does tend to be targeted. But if you keep the core and plugins updated, take backups and monitor for problems, you can keep the risk small.
The admin screen is not difficult once you get used to it, at least for rewriting text. If you are unsure, choosing a web design company with a point of contact for update requests makes it easier to keep going.
It is easier to hand over than other formats, but any heavily customised parts take time for the new company to understand. If ease of handover is a priority, a build that avoids too much custom code is the better fit.
It varies by web design company. Before signing a contract, check what is included in the monthly fee and what is quoted separately.
Leave both updates and maintenance to us
To make the most of the benefits of building with WordPress, it is important to design for post-launch operation as well. Merci Ltd. handles everything together, from WordPress production to daily backups, weekly updates and updates requested via chat or LINE.
