Why it’s so important to nurture AND protect your blog through change
Change has affected us all one way or another since the pandemic years. It can impact any writer who suddenly isn’t sure what to say that readers also want to hear.
In fact, change can destabilise us and put a stop to our creativity. I know. It’s what happened quite recently due to an extreme heatwave that affected me badly. And it happened on an even bigger scale during the early pandemic.
In the bigger scheme of things, we are lucky if we can put one foot in front of another. Nurturing and protecting our blog is rarely a priority.
But imagine losing it from one day to the next because that’s what happened to me with my own coaching & mentoring site. And if it can happen to me it can happen to anyone!
As an author, lifestyle blogger, therapist or coach, you may have invested years of effort into your online writing space to help you raise your profile. After all, your blog site is the voice that speaks for you when you’re busy doing your heart’s work!
Here’s why you need to nurture and protect your blog
As a reader of this site you may not know that for the last 10 years I have split my time between Attract Readers and my other coaching business that I’ve run successfully since 2005. I have had a hosted WordPress.org site with a blog for almost as long!
When the pandemic started, the effect on my clients’ businesses soon had a knock-on effect on mine. And initially Attract Readers went a bit quiet too. Having learnt to be resilient making sure I have a financial buffer, I didn’t want to ‘pivot’ as I had done in previous recessions.
I also had some ongoing health worries and feared the effect of Covid on my chronic lung disease. To me, Covid felt like a big scary monster at the time that had come out of nowhere. The uncertainty it was causing was off the scale. (And not just for me!)
So a few months went by before I decided to “park” my own business for a while to see how everything would pan out.
Shortly after, an opportunity arose to work as a Freelance Coaching Associate to a Global Coaching & Outplacement Company.
And I saw this as a sign. It was ok to keep one door closed for a while as a new one opened. And I chose ease over effort.
I knew I would enjoy not having to do any marketing for a change. (In any case, I’ve practised portfolio working, i.e having more than one source of income for many years.)
I took my site for granted
So for a few months, I didn’t pay much attention to the inner workings of my website – apart from writing blog posts which felt like an important part of my personal journey through the pandemic. And so I really wasn’t prepared for what would come next.
The consequences of not giving your site the TLC it deserves
One day I tried to log in to my site but noticed I was locked out. There was a strange coded message, and I didn’t know what to make of it. I tried to log in again the next day, and the day after that. And by now alarm bells started to ring!
I contacted my hosting provider for help, and they advised me how to get into my files. Unfortunately, I soon came to the realisation that hackers had planted lots of disgusting and very dodgy stuff on my site. I was horrified.
I’ve had my own websites for over 30 years, and this had never happened before. Whilst I knew there were backups, I couldn’t help mourning the loss of the ‘virtual home’ I had built over many years.
It reminded me of the first lockdown, when our beloved Motorhome got stolen from a supposedly secure storage facility. It may feel like a “first-world” problem on the one hand, but on the other it’s still a violation of your space. You just can’t help but feel vulnerable and somewhat exposed, especially when you’ve lost some personal belongings too. .
I was confused as well. I thought my site had been quite safe.
It was regularly backed up and updated. I considered my password to be strong and I was always looking out for phishing emails and scams.
In hindsight, my site may have been vulnerable all along. Not only hadn’t I changed my password in years, I hadn’t deleted two inactive plugins (I didn’t know they could pose a risk), and for some reason one or two of the plugins didn’t update automatically. Plus I missed a warning to do with one of the site updates. Naturally, with all the pandemic upheaval, my mind had been on other things.
Why nurture and protect your blog – the lessons
1. Writing and keeping your content secure aren’t two separate things
Have you ever nurtured a rare or delicate plant? Then you will know that it needs more than good soil, light and water to grow. You also have to protect it from extreme heat, cold and the inevitable storms!
The same goes for your blog. Working on your content keeps your blog alive. This helps you attract and engage your reader and who knows what amazing things can come from that. But without protection from outside attacks, your lovely writing can disappear in a flash!
2. Imagine the fallout from losing your site
Just think for a moment how an attack could damage your business. Especially if it puts other site users’ details at risk! It is worth thinking about, as insecure passwords, for example, could lead to data leaks on other sites and the fallout could be immense.
Apparently there are well over a million hacked websites on the web at any one time. It is perhaps not surprising when you can find tutorials on YouTube on how to get into a site in 6 minutes.
And another thought… what about considering the cost of cleaning up your site and restoring it if you weren’t able to do it yourself?!
3. A hosted WordPress site will always require love and attention
It pays to check it often. Make sure auto-updates and backups are actually being done.
WordPress offers a Site Health Tool which looks a little basic but is easy to keep an eye on. You can find it under Tools > Site Health in your admin area. It even gives your site a score! It may be worth bookmarking this article on WPBeginner that explains in more detail how to make your site secure.
If you don’t have the patience or the tech skills you may prefer to outsource your site’s security to a trusted website person. Hopefully they can easily fix any vulnerable areas so you can relax and focus on your writing.
And what happened to my site you may be wondering?
As my hosting provider was very helpful and the backups were there, we set the wheels in motion to try and clean up the site and bring it back. (It would make complete sense, right?)
There are different ways through change
But then, seemingly out of nowhere, I heard a quiet whisper. It spoke of looking forward rather than back. I sensed that there was more to this than met the eye and knew at once I needed to see my loss in a different light.
So I asked myself: “How is this (bad experience) helping me?”
An interesting question!
It dawned on me that my old site had been the subconscious safety net which allowed me to keep my options open. It felt comforting to know it was still there despite all the changes.
Of course my conscious mind knew it didn’t really reflect the new ‘me’ anymore. I am not the same person I was back then. I had to accept it was time to put the old to rest.
So I let go, surrendered. I now feel much lighter and good things are happening too.
It can be easy to forget that when a bad thing happens this also creates space for something new to emerge.
But I also hope you can see the need to nurture and protect your existing WordPress site at the same time. It’s all too easy to take something we’ve had for a while completely for granted.
And if you think your site or your direction might be in need of a rethink, just imagine what an opportunity this could be.
What might emerge?
Never forget that giving your blog the TLC it deserves is just another way to reaffirm your place in this world.
PS. You know where to find us if you feel stuck with your blog or book writingHelping writers to move forward is what my colleague Jean and I are good at!
And if you’re personally affected by major change and are uncertain about taking your next step, you can reach me directly here.
