Last Updated April 5, 2024
Website Hosting and Server Maintenance
High Availability Hosting with Security: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
321 Web Marketing has invested in an enterprise-grade hosting solution that was created using Amazon Web Services, the leading cloud hosting provider. Our hosting historically has had little to no downtime outside of scheduled code maintenance. This is tracked using an uptime monitor tool which tests each install every one (1) minute. Additionally, we set up the uptime monitor to send a notification to our clients so that they are aware of any downtime. Because we host all clients in our infrastructure, our clients benefit from us following strict security policies, in addition to carefully monitoring the server status to ensure that there is little to no risk of slowed website load speeds, website downtime, or security breaches.
A 24/7 DevOps team is staffed to respond to any downtime that would occur due to an infrastructure error.
Website Ownership, Plugins and Code Change Management
We understand that clients want to know that they always have control of their website and database as company assets. To ensure clients always own their code and database, designated points-of-contact may ask for a website backup at any time or request to host their website elsewhere for the following situations:
- Clients prefer to have another vendor manage hosting
- Clients want to terminate the contract, but would rather announce that the relationship is being terminated after a website backup is in possession.
- Clients just want to have a backup (note: this is very common)
Clients may also request for a plugin to be added, where 321 Web Marketing will test in a staging environment before uploading to ensure the plugin does not conflict with other code, slow the website down, or cause security issues.
When 321 Web Marketing is accountable for hosting and managing a WordPress website, we limit downloading plugins on the production server because new plugins can break the website, slow down the website, or cause future security issues. This policy ensures website uptime, speed and security, in addition to better control change management on code.
Static Resources Speed Optimization: CDN
321 Web Marketing optimizes speed by utilizing enterprise-grade hosting techniques. If a website user is a long distance away from a hosting server, the user can experience slow website load speeds from static resources such as images. To create a consistent and fast user experience, we utilize a CDN (Content Distribution Network) service which allows users to have a consistent website load speed, regardless of their location relative to the server.
Dynamic Resources Speed Optimization: Object and Database Caching
While CMSs are user-friendly for managing website content, dynamic content has slower load times than static content due to the additional steps required to retrieve the website data. To get around this, we accelerate page load time by storing the page output; then, using a solution that works like a CDN, we deliver this page output to visiting users from the nearest server in our network.
SSL Certificate Installation for HTTPS
321 Web Marketing provides SSL certificates with TLS 1.2 to all websites hosted on our cloud hosting solution to ensure secure communication from website users using contact forms. SSL certificates that are properly installed on websites are signaled to users through the padlock icon on the left-hand side of browser URL bars and positively impact SEO rankings.
321 Web Marketing automatically updates the SSL certificates to ensure there is no time when the website is live with an expired certificate.
Spam Blocking Software
321 Web Marketing installs spam-blocking software on websites to filter contact form inquiries that are likely to be spam. This includes ReCaptcha v2, Akismet, and blocking specific phrases.
Transactional Email Server
Spam filters blocking valid email notifications sent directly from the website server to the client is a common technical difficulty many website owners and managers face, but are unaware of. To make matters worse, the website managers and owners may have no comprehensive way to monitor this as it is happening. 321 Web Marketing integrates a 3rd party transactional email service whose sole purpose is to ensure that the email arrives in the desired inbox. Additionally, it provides email monitoring which our team actively monitors, so they can fix any potential email server issues; thus, ensuring transparency to the client that they are seeing the emails they need to see and not missing potential valuable notifications and communications.
Disaster Recovery: Automated Backups
321 Web Marketing automates website code and database backups daily, and can backup code to all client’s personal AWS account using the data storage service known as S3. This allows 321 Web Marketing to recover a website if there was an accidental code deletion, if the website was compromised, if there was a hardware malfunction, or if a natural disaster occurred at the data center. This also prevents vendor lock-in, where a client can prepare to move to another vendor at any time.
Two-Factor Authentication
321 Web Marketing uses two-factor authentication (2FA), a security process in which users provide two different authentication factors to verify themselves, for all website users with the Administrator role. This is done programmatically using Duo Security.
.HTACCESS best practices
Using .htaccess, 321 Web Marketing programmatically forces HTTPS and blocks the following types of traffic:
- User ID Phishing Requests
- WordPress xmlrpc.php Requests
Ongoing Website Support
Ticketing Support
321 Web Marketing provides access to email ticketing support where if an email is sent to support@321webmarketing, a notification is sent out to all 321 Web Marketing employees, a ticket is created in our ticketing system software ZenDesk, and our team assists the requester in a timely manner. ZenDesk is actively monitored during all waking hours and ensures that requests are attended to in a very timely manner. It is company policy to prioritize responding to tickets as part of our core client relationship mission.
SEO Maintenance
(included in Marketing Support Agreement)
Design Code and Content Speed Optimization
Websites can be slowed down by images that are not optimized in size. Our content posting team follows strict visual content guidelines, where they are required to reduce the size of an image such that it downloads much faster but appears the same to the human eye.
In addition to our team being trained in optimizing images, our team is trained to use a site-wide SEO auditing tool that assesses the size of images on each page to identify potential bottlenecks.
Monthly Technical SEO Fixes
Using a website auditing software owned by 321 Web Marketing, our team performs sitewide audits once a month to search website pages that are not following SEO best practices. This includes optimizing page titles and meta descriptions, in addition to updating/removing hyperlinks on a website that point to non-existent pages.
Crawl Error Fixes
Google provides a tool known as Google Search Console (“GSC”) which monitors and reports 4XX and 5XX crawl errors. 4XX and 5XX errors, respectively, occur when a website page that was indexed by Google does not exist or when a page is not loading properly. These errors are known to provide a bad user experience and negatively impact SEO. Our staff checks these reports once a month and fixes the errors by routing the traffic to the most appropriate page using a code known as a “301 Redirect” which signals that content is permanently located in a new location.
