As the writer for a digital marketing company, I’m constantly learning new things. Sometimes I learn about new (to me) industries (like asbestos abatement) or services (like IV hydration) from our clients, but often I learn “techy” stuff from my boss and my colleagues. And that’s generally stuff that I’ve heard of, but didn’t understand and – full disclosure – was too embarrassed to ask about.

One of those topics is “website hosting” vs “website maintenance,” a subject on which I was recently given the lowdown. It’s a question that comes up a lot from our clients who ask… ”aren’t they the same thing?” Short answer: No, actually they’re not.

Quick take:
Imagine you’re going to a great party that’s taking place at a nice venue. When you get there, you’re greeted by a person named Chris. Chris seems very much “in the know,” and you feel better knowing Chris is there. Chris makes sure everyone has what they need, is having a good time, knows where the bathrooms are, etc.

Now, in the above scenario, the venue is actually the host (also called the web server), and Chris is doing “maintenance.”

Keep that analogy in mind.

Is Hosting or Maintenance Right for You?
Like a lot of companies, Tree Ring Digital offers managed WordPress website hosting. That means that we act as the venue where the party that is your fabulous WordPress website occurs.

Here’s What Tree Ring Digital Hosting Entails:
– AWS Cloud-Based Scalable Hosting
– VPS Server
– Hosted Domains
– Parked Domains
– Server Optimized with Nginx, PHP-FPM, MariaDB, Zend OpCache, and Redis
– Global CDN Enabled
– Disk Space
– Bandwidth
– Hosting Support

But Tree Ring Digital also offers maintenance plans for your WordPress website – we act as Chris in the above scenario, making sure your WordPress website is in tiptop shape and having a fantastic time (i.e. performing perfectly for you).

Maybe you’re thinking, “ok, I’m sure Chris is nice, but I can take care of my own party (or website, as the case may be).” Sure, you could. But do you have a full staff of experts who specialize in this stuff? And who will guarantee that, if they’re in charge, anything that gets broken (by anyone at the party) will get fixed? Chris (or, in this scenario, Tree Ring Digital) does.

Here’s What Tree Ring Digital Maintenance Entails:
– 24/7 Site Monitoring
– Website Scans for Malicious Code
– Website & Database Backup
– Website Update (WordPress, Plugins, Theme)
– Website Performance Audit
– Test Contact Form

There’s a lot that can go wrong on a website. You need someone there to make sure it doesn’t, and to fix it if it does. And the best “someones” to have on the job are humans, not bots (like a lot of the big mega hosting companies use).

Hosting or Maintenance: Why Not Both?
Honestly, choosing Tree Ring Digital for both your hosting and maintenance is the best plan of action. Think of it like this: your site has to be hosted somewhere in order to exist. Does your site absolutely have to have maintenance? No. But if you care about protecting your investment (both your website and your business), you need maintenance. It’s a health regimen/insurance plan rolled into one.

With a Tree Ring Digital maintenance plan, our real, live, human experts (who will know your website, and likely even know you by name) will maintain your website. You’ll get monthly maintenance reports, and in the unlikely event that your site gets hacked, we’ll fix it at no cost.

The Takeaway:
There’s really no way around it in today’s marketplace – your digital presence is crucial to success. And when you partner with Tree Ring Digital, that’s one more thing taken care of. We offer a complete panoply of digital marketing assets from website development to hosting and maintenance and way, way beyond. You can choose your services a la carte or let us help you design a fully customized, bespoke, and entirely scalable suite of services to meet your business needs today and far into the future. Give us a call to find out how we can help you!