While developing a WordPress site has its difficulties, sometimes the real challenge begins when it’s time to hand off the site to the client. The WordPress site handoff is often messy, technically complex, and a source of client confusion leading to a salvo of post-launch support requests.
This complex process touches on transferring ownership, providing access, educating clients, and ensuring ongoing maintenance. Managed WordPress hosting can greatly simplify this process.
This article will explore how leveraging the specific features of managed WordPress hosting can drastically streamline the site handoff process, benefiting both developers and clients.
There are many facets of the WordPress site handoff process that can create problems.
Technical Complexity for Clients: Not all clients understand the technical aspects of their site. Explaining cPanel, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), database management, manual updates, and security can overwhelm non-technical clients.
Security Concerns: Sharing credentials and ensuring proper access removal and transfer of authority can create serious security problems if not handled properly.
Performance and Maintenance Burden: At the handoff, clients are often unaware of the site’s ongoing needs around updates, backups, and caching.
Post-Handoff Support Overload: Ineffective handoffs can lead to frequent calls and emails for basic issues that could have been avoided.
Risk of Site Breakage: Clients can inadvertently break the site because of a lack of knowledge on how it all works.
Reputational Damage: A poorly managed handoff can sour an otherwise successful project and deter future business recommendations or outreach.
Working with a Managed WordPress Hosting provider helps address many of these handoff problems and greatly simplifies the process.
Most managed WordPress hosts provide intuitive dashboards instead of a complex cPanel. They also have dedicated client portals for easy access management.
Dashboards allow clients to quickly access basic settings, review billing, and view analytics without needing deep technical knowledge. This results in a reduced support burden for the developer.
Access to one-click WordPress staging site creation allows for the testing of updates or new features before pushing the actual site live.
During the handoff, developers can complete and demonstrate work without impacting the live site, making final review and approval cleaner. This reduces the overall risk during the site handoff process.
Daily automated backups and easy site restoration can be done right from the dashboard.
Automated WordPress backups provide a safety net for clients if they accidentally break something, reducing panic and the need for developer intervention. Clients can be assured that their data is safe no matter what happens.
Managed WordPress providers include host-level security, which typically encompasses web application firewalls (WAFs) and malware scanning. Hosts also provide optimized caching, Content Delivery Network (CDN) integration, and auto-updates for core WordPress.
Clients don’t need to worry about managing complex security plugins or performance configurations. This heavy lifting is managed by the host and ultimately leads to less post-handoff maintenance for developers.
Many WordPress managed hosts offer simple site transfer tools or a “push to live” option from a staging environment.
As a result, problems with data loss or configuration errors are greatly reduced during the migration. This provides an overall easier account and billing transfer process to the client.
One of the underrated features of using a managed WordPress host is having 24/7 access to support staff who understand WordPress inside-out.
This gives clients the option to directly contact hosting support for hosting-related issues, freeing up the developer’s time post-handoff.
Using a managed WordPress host greatly simplifies the handoff process. The following best practices can help you deliver an even better handoff experience to your client.
Client Training: Even though clients have access to a simplified dashboard thanks to the host, you should provide some basic WordPress client education on how to update content, access analytics, and contact support.
Documentation: Create a simple, client-facing guide for key tasks and FAQs.
Clear Communication: Set expectations about ongoing responsibilities and the post-handoff support scope.
Provide Essential Credentials: Encrypt and securely transfer all necessary credentials, including admin, hosting, and domain registrar logins, along with any relevant site documentation.
Transition for Client Billing: Ensure a clear plan for billing transfer, if applicable.
Ready to simplify your post-launch process? The features provided by managed WordPress hosts transform this handoff from a headache into a streamlined, positive experience for the developer and the client.
Client satisfaction improves and developers see reduced support requests, allowing them more time to focus on new projects. Elevate your service and simplify your workflow by leveraging a managed WordPress host and all its benefits.
Are you looking to make your client handoff process easier? Pressable offers the speed, flexibility, and API documentation needed for you to build and hand off your client sites effortlessly. We provide a hosting foundation backed by 100% uptime infrastructure and global CDN edge-caching. Your clients’ page loads are optimized to deliver an efficient and reliable experience to visitors. We give you the technical confidence you need to focus your attention on managing the needs of your clients.
Pressable—part of the Automattic family that also includes WordPress.com, WordPress VIP, and WooCommerce—is staffed by WordPress experts with the skills and knowledge to effectively manage your WordPress site. If you’re thinking about switching to managed WordPress hosting, schedule a demo to see how Pressable can support your continued optimization and growth.
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