Website Hosting & Maintenance Checklist for Small Businesses

Your website works for your business around the clock, but only if someone is looking after it. Use this checklist to review the essentials. If you can't answer a question, that is usually the place to start.

Ownership and access

• Is your domain name registered in your business's name, with contact details you control?
• Do you know when your domain renews, and is auto-renew turned on?
• Do you have administrator access to your hosting, domain and website, rather than relying on a former supplier?
• Is access limited to people who currently need it?

Hosting

• Do you know who hosts your website and what plan you are on?
• Is there a clear support arrangement if the site goes down?
• Is the hosting suited to your traffic and the type of site you run?

Security

• Does your site load over HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate?
• Are the content management system, theme and plugins kept up to date?
• Are unused plugins and old user accounts removed?
• Do administrator accounts use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication?
• Are forms protected from spam?

Backups

• Is your website backed up automatically, including files and database?
• Are backups stored separately from the website itself?
• Has anyone tested restoring a backup recently?

Performance and content

• Does the site load quickly on a mobile phone?
• Are images compressed and sized appropriately?
• Are contact details, services and prices up to date?
• Do your contact forms deliver enquiries to the right inbox? Test them regularly.

Search and analytics

• Is your site connected to Google Search Console?
• Do you have analytics set up to understand how visitors find and use your site?
• When pages are removed or renamed, are old addresses redirected?

Email and business continuity

• Is business email configured correctly so messages aren't marked as spam?
• If your website or email stopped working tomorrow, do you know who to call?

If your checklist has more question marks than ticks, our cloud and managed hosting solutions can help you put dependable arrangements in place. You can also contact our team for a review.