Let's Play a Little Game

Just for a minute, pretend that your website just crashed. Blammo! No signs of life. Hey, it happens - more often than you'd think.

What would you do to get it back? Would you know who to call? Ghostbuster isn't going to help you, are they?

Your website is a lot like your car - it's a complex piece of machinery that you probably don't know how to fix. And your entire business is riding on it. So you can't afford to be careless with it.

And just like your car, your website needs regular oil changes and tire rotations in the form of updates, proper security, and regular backups.

Trust But Verify

Let me tell you a story. I had a friend who was just starting out in her business. She's been through a very expensive coaching program that included her business website along with a year of maintenance.

I happened to be helping her change something on her website, and I was horrified. It was outdated by about two years, had no security software whatsoever and no backups. These people hadn't done any of the things they said they were doing. I was furious on her behalf and helped her get it fixed!

I wish I could say this was an outlier, but this wasn't the first time. Even though she'd paid more than $5,000, her website and by extension her entire business - was hanging by a thread because she trusted a dishonest person with a critical task.

Any time you hire someone in your business, you've got to learn enough about it to be able to validate their work - how to tell if they're doing the work as agreed.

What do you Need?

At an absolute minimum - every type of website, should have some kind of a backup. Most people think their host handles this, but many don't - GoDaddy and BlueHost are two major players who don't do regular backups, so talk to me if you are hosted with either of these. I've "rescued" several clients from these substandard packages.

Are you using a robust security system? A good complex password that isn't your pet's name or your kid's. You'd be shocked at some of the passwords people come up with - Pass1234 is a popular choice and I've seen many other ridiculously easy variations.

WordFence is a FREE security plug-in I use on every site because it notifies you the second anyone accesses your site, and also has many other helpful features.

I offer a website security audit as well as regular monthly maintenance packages for as little as $50/month. Considering that one hacked or broken website could cost you upwards of $500 and maybe a week of downtime to fix, you'd be smart to have regular maintenance in place. Leave me a comment or a DM if you think you might need help.

How to Hire a Tech Person

Just this week, I had a problem with my primary Email. Email is probably your second most critical business tool, so you need to be sure it's in good working order. I know lots of things, but the intricacies of Email systems - not my jam.

So I ended up hiring two different people and spending more than 7 hours and $250+ dollars to get it straightened out. Good tech services aren't cheap!

Hiring a tech person is a lot like hiring someone to paint your house. You don't want to just hand them a paint brush and a bucket of paint and hope it comes out right. You need to ask questions, understand their background and experience, get some good recommendations, and then be present while the work is being performed. Remember: Trust, but verify!

The first person I hired was a friend of mine who is a fairly new Workspace expert, and honestly, she tried her face off, but nothing was working the way it should have. We probably spent 5 hours and were just getting blocked on everything we were trying to do. Time to bring in the big guns!

I ended up hiring an expert from Fiverr and he did a great job, but be VERY cautious about hiring people from Fiverr or Upwork to fix critical items like websites or Email. I did have a Fiverr guy once hack my site in about 5 minutes flat, so I am SUPER CAUTIOUS.

1. Pick someone who is a Fiverr Pro or a Top Choice. They work hard for those certifications, so they won't risk it by being dishonest. You aren't looking for the CHEAP person, you are looking for the GOOD person!
2. Carefully review their ratings, their feedback comments and their number of completed orders. At least 50-100 is a good bet. READ the reviews - if they look like BOTS, they probably ARE. Look for enthusiastic and detailed reviews that sound like actual people.
3. Don't ever hand over your passwords, even through LastPass (that is so easy to hack, it isn't funny!). Instead, insist that they do the work over Zoom and you log them in yourself. Even if you don't understand what they're doing, the fact you're watching them will likely keep them from installing a back door, or redirecting your site to gambling sites or other unsavory places.
4. Thank them with a generous tip and/or a glowing feedback review. Those comments really help keep them in business, and it's just a kind thing to do.

In Review

Treat your website and Email like a Ferrari - take good care of them, and don't take necessary chances with them. Hire someone competent to help you with them - LIKE ME.

Backups, good security and regular updates aren't OPTIONAL, they are necessary. Find the time or pay someone to do it - LIKE ME.

If you do hire someone (even me!)- trust, but verify. Even if you don't know the details, you should have a good idea of how often the work will be done, a general idea of what they're doing and you should be having regular touchpoints with any contractors to keep in the loop on the work.

Hope this helps!