Three Steps to Keep the Cobwebs Out of WordPress A lot of our web design clients ask about ongoing WordPress maintenance in the proposal stage of our project.  They've heard WordPress is easy to use and they want to make sure it will be just as easy to maintain.  They also what to make sure their website will be safe, secure, and free of malware or hacking attacks. I'm very open with people in these discussions.  And I can be, because I've personally had few issues with WordPress maintenance and security.  In the years I've worked with WordPress, I've only had two clients encounter malware and both were due to poorly maintained plugins and had nothing to do with the WordPress core.  The general rule is if you keep your WordPress website updated and optimized, there should be no problems.  Leave cobwebs lurking about and there absolutely will be problems. For the average website, WordPress is easy to maintain.  It really boils down to updating the WordPress core and plugins when needed, optimizing your database on a regular basis, and monitoring spam.  None of this takes a lot of technical know how or time.  It just takes spring cleaning a few times a year. #1 -- Upgrade the WordPress Core and Plugins Many of my clients ask me to sign a non-disclosure agreement prior to beginning our website design project because they are concerned about protecting their informational assets. Many times it is these same people who fail to upgrade