Maintenance Corrective Audit
Details on WordPress Initial Corrective Audit components when required.
The Audit
The Initial Audit is to begin a Maintenance Care Plan for the following circumstances:
- Creative by Clark did not build the WordPress website
- A previous Creative by Clark Maintenance Care Plan has lapsed for 6 months or more
- The client wants a Standalone Corrective Audit without Maintenance to assess status, perform a one-time optimization with security hardening and the client will maintain their own website moving forward – not uncommon with personnel changes
Audit Components
Create Secure Backups
Before I do anything, as-is website backups are created and sent to a secure off-site location.
Scan Overall As-Is Performance
External performance scans are obtained from several tools to provide a view of how visitors and search engines see the website and flag problems.
Deep Security Assessment
A deep understanding of as-is site security status is gathered. Hacked? Are there Malware embeds? How protected is the site?
Malware & Hack Removal ($ extra fee)
If a hack or malware is identified, I provide options to engage a third-party or Creative by Clark to clean and resecure. Extra fees apply and are quoted and agreed to before taking action.
Scan Overall As-Is Performance
The actual as-is WordPress installation, including all configurations, themes, and plugins, is assessed and remediated to bring current. I may recommend the replacement of poor-quality plugins short of a rebuild.
Evaluate & Reconfigure Hosting
Not all hosts are equal. With access to the hosting account, we evaluate whether resources and the environment are sufficient. If so, we proceed to address PHP version and configurations, SSL status, and other technical settings that impact WordPress performance. If poor, we recommend a hosting upgrade that might include a provider change (we do not maintain any affiliate relationships for kickbacks).
Establish 24/7 Uptime Monitoring
Knowing if and when a website goes down is critical. I integrate a 24/7 Uptime Monitoring System with notification to Creative by Clark on occurrence¹. In nearly all cases, downtime is host-related and is frequently a brief outage described as similar to a brownout. However, for many websites, downtime translates into a loss of profitability and potential customers (especially with online stores). I will take action as soon as possible as your authorized agent with hosting support to resolve the problem.
¹This is not incorporated for independent audits when not part of a Maintenance Care Plan
Examine & Resolve 404 Errors
A 404 error indicates that a page, link, or image cannot be found often because a resource has been removed or renamed without redirection. I identify and mitigate 404s with proper redirections and set up an informative 404 Error page on the website that provides more personal communication.
Assess SEO Status (Advanced & Premium Plans Only)
Creative by Clark does not provide bona fide SEO or SEM services. It’s a specialty that deserves dedicated pros. But for Advanced and Premium Care Plans, I provide an audit report that includes my observations and a third-party authoritative report that can be provided for corrective services from experts in the field.
Audit Cost?
The Corrective Audit cost varies according to the selected Maintenance Care Plan or if it’s a standalone purchase. Additional fees will be incurred for Malware Removal if found. Clients can pursue removal with a third-party company that focuses exclusively on this service or engage Creative by Clark if the clean-up is within my technical and time availability bandwidth. Locating and removing infection should be considered an urgent matter.
Standalone Corrective Audit
(No Maintenance Care Plan)
Starting at $598 for Small Website
Starting at $798 for Medium-Large Website
Starting at $998 for Large/Complex Website
For organizations aware that there is something wrong, but don’t know where to start, Creative by Clark can perform a Standalone Website Audit & Corrective Service to resolve problems and bring a website up to standards. The prices above are launching points for budgetary planning purposes only. I will provide a firm cost once paid a $250 non-refundable deposit and all necessary credentials to inspect first-hand are shared. Emergency queries may incur additional fees for me to triage your Audit over an existing schedule that might greatly extend my day.
Basic Care Plan Audit Cost
$298 for the 1st month
Plan costs $99/mo for the remaining 11 months of the first year.
Advanced Care Plan Audit Cost
$498 for the 1st month
Plan costs $149/mo for the remaining 11 months of the first year.
Premium Care Plan Audit Cost
$698 for the 1st month
Plan costs $299/mo for the remaining 11 months of the first year.
