Hosting & maintenance
DreamHost hosting. Hands-on care from me.
DreamHost provides the hosting and servers. I handle the setup, code optimization, updates, backups and agreed improvements. You get professional infrastructure and someone who knows your site, with clear responsibilities and a practical way to get help.
Plan and review the work directly with me.
Ready to recover.
- 01Hosting configuration
- 02Reviewed updates
- 03Recovery planning
The challenge.
The site works until an update breaks it, a backup turns out to be empty, or the one person who knew the logins is gone.
Professional hosting, with someone who knows the site.
DreamHost provides the servers. I set them up for the workload, keep the software current, test the backups by restoring them, and document the whole setup so the business always has a way back.
Explore the work
A backup is a start. Recovery is the point.
Run this illustrative maintenance check through update review, backup and restore verification. It is not a live monitor for your website.
Website care
A documented path back to a working site.
Tools I work with
WordPress
GitHubWhat goes into it
The work behind
the finished result.
Start with the right DreamHost hosting.
I match the hosting to the site and its workload. That can mean DreamPress for managed WordPress hosting, or a VPS or dedicated server when the application calls for it. I configure the agreed setup and plan the migration, caching and delivery alongside the website code.
DreamHost supplies the infrastructure. My project covers the setup and ongoing care we agree.
Know what is covered.
A care plan should name the software maintained, checks performed, support hours and included changes. Bigger features and redesigns are estimated separately.
Written coverage, response expectations and recurring costs.
Have a way back.
Updates can cause problems and servers can fail. I set up the agreed backups and recovery process, document it and include restore checks in the maintenance plan.
Backup locations, retention, restore procedure and recovery checks.
Keep control of your website.
Your business should control its domain and service accounts. A useful handover includes the custom work, account details and instructions another provider would need.
Account ownership and documented operation of the agreed setup.
Working together
Set up carefully. Keep checking.
Inspect the setup
Review hosting, software, backups and outstanding issues.
Agree the coverage
Define support, maintenance and what counts as extra work.
Keep it maintained
Carry out scheduled checks and communicate material changes.
Scope & budget
Put a clear boundary
around the work.
Care is quoted after reviewing the site and its operating requirements. DreamHost hosting, software subscriptions and my maintenance fee are listed separately. A complex application needs different coverage from a small marketing site.
The work, price and review points are agreed before the project starts.
See project budget guidanceRelevant work
The foundations beneath the website.
Rogue Brothers Construction / Client website
A project portfolio the owners can keep current.
A WordPress site built around project publishing, service-area content and inquiry tracking.
Marcum & Sons / Client website
A website that has grown with the company.
Project case studies, service pages and leadership information across a continuing website relationship.
Professional hosting.
A foundation I know well.
Built by me.
Hosted on DreamHost.
A fast website needs good code and good hosting. I trim the code, images and scripts, and set up DreamHost hosting to fit the project. Then we measure the result, from how fast the server answers to Core Web Vitals, Google’s measures of loading and response.
I’m DreamHost’s CMO; the hosting is DreamHost’s product and billed separately, and the work described here is my own.
Before we get started
A few useful answers.
Is this a DreamHost service?
You hire me independently for the setup, development and website care. I am CMO at DreamHost and know its hosting well; DreamHost provides the hosting service under its own plan and terms. The scope and costs make each responsibility clear.
Can you maintain a website you did not build?
Often. I inspect the platform, access, software condition and backup arrangements before agreeing to take responsibility for it.
Are new features included?
Only when the care agreement includes them. Maintenance and small content changes are defined separately from new development.
What happens if the site goes down?
The care plan sets out how to report an incident, the response window and the recovery process. Any urgent or out-of-hours coverage must be agreed explicitly.
Can we move to another provider later?
Yes. Your accounts remain under your control, and the handover documents the setup so another provider can take over the agreed work.
Let’s make it happen
Talk about ongoing care.
Tell me what you want to build or improve. A sentence or two is enough to start.