Using WP Engine to Boost Website Productivity and Security

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Whether you’re using GoDaddy, Network Solutions, or your cousin’s IT company, there’s no lack of website hosting options. So how do you know if you’ve got the right one and what should you even look for?

Many organizations approach the choice of a web hosting service by perusing a list of functions instead of thinking about an overall digital marketing strategy. The right hosting service can save you time and money, and boost your productivity and site security.

If that sounds like more than you can ask of a web host—it isn’t.

One of the best website solutions Innovaxis Marketing has taken advantage of in recent years is WP Engine, a WordPress hosting platform that combines world-class digital tools and customer service at a reasonable price.

Speed, Security, and More Drive WP Engine’s (Many) Perks

Innovaxis Marketing discovered WP Engine when Adobe abruptly announced the end of life for its web content management software (CMS), Business Catalyst, after having purchased it just a few years prior. This left hundreds of thousands of websites in the lurch. Innovaxis had to quickly identify both an alternative web CMS and/or hosting solution that suited the diverse needs of clients.

Innovaxis first explored web CMS cloud solutions, but they were either extremely costly or were developed by companies you’ve never heard of, seemingly by two guys in a basement and often overseas. This wasn’t going to work for our most important marketing asset.

Back to WordPress

Innovaxis had migrated numerous websites away from WordPress to Adobe Business Catalyst often due to the sites being hacked, which would set search engine optimization (SEO) and lead generation efforts back by at least a year in each instance. Used by 43% of all websites, WordPress is clearly the world’s leading CMS, but its list of associated security vulnerabilities was enough to give Innovaxis pause, even as the benefits of WordPress were recommended specifically for Adobe Business Catalyst users.

Innovaxis needed a way to dramatically reduce the security risks to both inherited and newly-developed WordPress sites, but was it possible?

Enter WP Engine

WP Engine is a managed hosting service, which means it’s like having a dedicated technical assistant powering your website and responding quickly to any issues as they arise. This ultimately allows you to spend more time focusing on more important, strategic tasks.

With automated management of updates and backups, fast servers, and incredibly responsive customer service, WP Engine addressed WordPress security concerns and was the standout choice for web hosting.

Smart Plugin Manager and Other Updates

Most WordPress hacks happen because some combination of the website’s WordPress core module, PHP version, themes, or plugins have not been updated – sometimes for years. Because WordPress and plugin security vulnerabilities become well known quickly, it’s imperative that you update your site every month if not every week, but manually doing so can easily take at least 5-10 hours per month (if done thoroughly).

WP Engine’s Smart Plugin Manager addresses WordPress’s greatest risk in a fraction of the time compared with doing so manually. For an additional $10 per month, WP Engine will automatically update your WordPress theme and the 10-30 plugins that most WordPress sites need to function the way you want without paying a fortune for custom website development.

WP Engine also alerts you when WordPress core and PHP updates are available along with a staging environment so you can apply these updates to see if any issues arise with your site. This allows you to make corrections without compromising the integrity of the live site. Once troubleshooting and quality control are completed, you can then publish the staged site to the live site with one click—after creating a manual backup point of your site (also with one click).

Additionally, WP Engine automatically backs up your site daily and stores backups for at least 30 days. Restoring your website from a backup point can be done literally in just a few clicks.

24/7 Customer Support

WP Engine’s customer support is always available and each rep is very knowledgeable about WordPress and WP Engine’s platform, so the vast majority of issues are resolved on the first chat.

Website Speed

WP Engine offers the fastest WordPress server speeds available and they regularly announce enhancements that make WordPress run even faster. Combined with the implementation of plugins like NitroPack, mobile performance scores of 95 to 100 are possible as reported by Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool.

Utilizing WP Engine with an Experienced Partner

As a result, Innovaxis Marketing regularly migrates clients with WordPress websites to WP Engine and, at this point, we wouldn’t consider any other hosting environment for WordPress.

WP Engine is well constructed, easy to use, and helps ensure your website is as secure as possible. Whether or not you choose to involve a marketing partner, WP Engine can provide best-in-class WordPress hosting and managed services.

About the Author

Sean Parnell is the founder and president of Innovaxis, a marketing consulting agency and WP Engine Agency Partner. Owners and marketing leaders wanting a marketing partner that understands their business to increase industry thought leadership, demand generation, and customer acquisition, rely on Innovaxis Marketing to drive their growth—often starting with a marketing audit.