Managed WordPress: WordPress with Butler service at Combell!

With Combell's Managed WordPress, you will be able to fully focus on the content of your website. Combell will take care of the rest: security, speed, updates... And if you want, we can even check your code in order to optimise it. Here is a brief explanation on the subject.

Managed WordPress: extra services to make your life easier

WordPress has quite rightly become the most popular CMS thanks to its user-friendliness. You know the principle: you pick a theme to build your website, add extra features by means of plugins, and all you have left to do is upload your content via a simple form. The CMS then automatically formats everything. It does not get any simpler than that!

But no matter how user-friendly WordPress is, there are still things you need to do yourself, like updating your theme or plugins, or installing the latest security updates. That, however, remains an obstacle for many users, who are paralysed by fear at the mere thought that their website could be damaged during an update.

With Managed WordPress, Combell aims to remove this obstacle. With the extra services that Combell provides in the background, your WordPress website will become more secure, faster and more stable. This means you will be able to focus on your content more than ever before.

For this service, Combell took the remarks of its WordPress users into account. And it is thus partly based on their feedback that a lot of extra services have been developed for the Managed WordPress hosting package. As usual, these extra services can be managed via your control panel. That is, incidentally, the great advantage of the control panel that we created in-house: all the new features can be immediately integrated into it.

Especially for Managed WordPress, we have created a separate product in the control panel, which offers even more clarity than a standard hosting package. After all, everything we handle for our customers was no longer necessary.

As a result, this control panel developed especially for Managed WordPress features a cleverly designed interface that helps you fully concentrate on the things you actually want to do and can do. And thanks to Combell's typical user-friendliness, activating, managing and adjusting settings are child's play! You can e.g. restore backups with the simple click of a button.

A separate test environment: test new features without any worries

One of the extra features that will delight many users is the test environment. Because when you install an update for a theme, a plugin or any other element of your website, you might still be anxious about what is going to happen next. Because no matter how often the update has been tested by other users, there is still a possibility that the update will cause problems on your website.

That is why Combell has created a separate test environment for you, with its own URL, which you can share with other testers. You can even manage its settings separately via the control panel, without affecting your live website. Simply make a copy of your current website and import it into the test environment. You will then be able to get started right away.

Depending on the Managed WordPress hosting package you choose, you will have 2 or 3 test environments at your disposal. You can thus experiment as you please, without compromising the integrity of your actual website!

Automatic updates are tested before going live

Another frequent issue that Combell tackles: keeping an eye on when updates are available and implementing them in a timely manner. Combell's Managed WordPress hosting also takes this burden off your shoulders. Your site is checked every day to see if updates are available for any of its elements. If that is the case, we will first test this update and only install it if it is compatible with your website. This will be done without you (and your visitors) noticing a thing!

These updates are crucial for the security of your website. Because hackers just love to exploit vulnerabilities and other security issues found in obsolete themes and plugins. But regularly updating your website is also an absolute necessity if you want your website to be as fast as possible. Especially when it comes to PHP, the programming language on which WordPress is based.

Unfortunately, many users are still reluctant to install the latest version of PHP. But what they do not realise is how their concerns stand in the way of a better performing website when they stick to the old version of PHP. For example, did you know that:

• PHP 5.2 is a staggering 400% slower than PHP 7
• with PHP 7, the system can process twice as many requests as PHP 5.6, with almost half the latency
• PHP 7.4 uses less memory than PHP 7.3

From now on, no more sleepless nights wondering "Am I doing it or am I not doing it?", because Combell will take care of all of your worries by automatically updating your PHP, WordPress, themes and plugins.

Managed WordPress comes with extensive personal support

Managed WordPress is more than just an automated approach to your hosting. Because you can also rely on the personal advice provided by our WordPress experts. Our helpdesk team includes several dedicated experts with extensive knowledge of WordPress, who will assist you in English (or French / Dutch, if you prefer). And, of course, they can be reached 24/7 via e-mail, chat or a toll-free telephone number.

Your blank WordPress is preinstalled for you when you purchase your hosting package. All you have to do is tailor it using themes and plugins. If necessary, our experts will help you install these plugins and themes.

You can also contact our experts if you have any questions about your hosting or the free mailboxes you received, or if you are experiencing problems with your website. They will check your website and even go through your code. Their tips to optimise your website or your code are absolutely priceless!

A major extra service that comes with Managed WordPress hosting is the Butler transfer service. During the transfer process, your website will be treated with the utmost care and will be fully cleaned up. Our WordPress specialists are very meticulous in their work, exactly like a real butler, and copy all your files to their new location. Next, they test your installation from start to finish, and adjust it if necessary. At the same time, they optimise your code and update it so that you always have the latest compatible versions to work with. So, you will experience a hassle-free transfer that will allow you to get started right away in your new WordPress home!

Managed WordPress for greater speed

But there are other reasons why Managed WordPress makes your website faster. Not only do you enjoy the latest technologies (such as PHP7, HTTP2 and fast SSD storage) for your WordPress, but we also keep a constant eye on your website. At the slightest slowdown, we take proactive action to ensure optimal performance.

In addition to performance monitoring, you will also enjoy free uptime monitoring. We will personally monitor your website. If any proactive alarm is triggered, we will take immediate action to keep the impact to a minimum. This ensures that your website is always accessible.

Your website also comes with free caching (128 MB Varnish, Redis, Ramdisk, APCu) that helps your website load much faster. And thanks to the fair amount of PHP memory that is included in the Managed WordPress package, your website will continue to deliver outstanding performance, even when traffic is peaking!

Protection against hackers... and your own mistakes!

Your Managed WordPress hosting obviously benefits from Combell's outstanding security. This protects you against all possible external attacks. So, every day, the malware scanner will check your files in order to detect corrupt files.

Security vulnerabilities in the themes used, plugins, your operating system, etc. are identified and fixed proactively. Web filters block malicious traffic to your website and only allow legitimate visitors to access it, even in the event of a DDoS attack. And multiple firewalls lock hackers out.

To err is human. Therefore, Combell also protects you from careless mistakes you may make yourself. Because when you accidentally delete essential data, or when an update goes wrong, it is important to have a very recent backup at hand. This is why Combell backs up your entire website on a daily basis and keeps the backup for 30 days. This means you will always have a safety net in case things go wrong!