We’ve compiled answers to some of the most common questions we receive about our web development, maintenance, and support services.
Whether you’re curious about how we work, the services we offer, or how we can support your specific needs, you’ll find the information you’re looking for here. If you have any additional questions or need further assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us directly—we’re here to help!
Frequently Asked Questions
Website Development
Yes, we specialize in supporting eCommerce websites! We offer comprehensive eCommerce solutions using WooCommerce, the leading platform for WordPress. Whether you’re launching a new online store or need ongoing support for an existing one, we provide services ranging from custom design and development to payment gateway integration, product management, and security. We ensure your eCommerce site runs smoothly, is secure, and offers an exceptional shopping experience for your customers.
Yes, we build and support membership websites! We specialize in creating robust membership sites using tools like Memberpress. Whether you need a site with gated content, subscription plans, or exclusive member access, we can design and develop a solution tailored to your needs. Additionally, we offer ongoing support to ensure your membership site remains secure, up-to-date, and fully functional, providing a seamless experience for your members.
Yes, we can add additional pages after your website is live. Whether you need new landing pages, blog posts, service pages, or any other type of content, our team is ready to expand and update your website as your business grows. Our dedicated on-demand support service allows you to request new pages or updates at any time, with fast turnaround times.
For more information on our dedicated support services and the types of tasks we typically help clients with, visit our support page.
Absolutely! We specialize in building and supporting eCommerce websites using WooCommerce. From product listings and inventory management, to secure payment processing and customer accounts, we offer comprehensive eCommerce solutions to help your online store succeed.
For more information on our eCommerce solutions, visit our eCommerce Website Development page.
Yes, we can create robust membership websites using tools like Memberpress. Whether you need gated content, complex membership tiers, subscription plans, or exclusive member access, we can develop a membership site tailored to your specific needs and business goals.
Yes, we build subscription-based websites with recurring payment options, allowing you to offer products, services, or memberships on a recurring basis. We can set up and manage various subscription models using tools like Gravity Forms, WooCommerce, and/or MemberPress. Additionally, we integrate with a wide range of payment processors, ensuring that your customers have a smooth and secure payment experience, whether they’re using credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, or other payment methods.
Yes, we can develop multilingual websites to cater to a diverse and global audience. From simple solutions like the Google Translate plugin, to complex premium solutions like Weglot and WPML, we have experience with numerous translation services. This ensures that your content is effectively localized and accessible in multiple languages, enhancing user experience across different regions.
The timeline for completing a customized website build depends on the complexity of your project. On average, it takes 6-10 weeks, but this can vary based on whether it’s a new development or a redevelopment project. Factors such as whether you already have content created, a sitemap, imagery, and other assets can also impact the timeline. We’ll provide a more accurate estimate after discussing your specific requirements and the current state of your project.
During the website build, you’ll have direct communication with our team via phone, email, and Zoom. We’ll provide regular updates, discuss any changes or feedback, and ensure that you’re involved in every step of the process to ensure the final product meets your expectations.
While we can assist with content creation, providing your own content ensures it’s aligned with your brand’s voice and message. We’ll guide you on best practices if you choose to create your own content.
Yes, you can use your own purchased font on your Masthead website. We can integrate custom fonts in various formats, such as WOFF, WOFF2, TTF, or OTF, to match your brand’s identity and ensure a consistent look and feel across all your web pages. Our team will ensure that your chosen font is properly optimized for web use, maintaining both performance and visual appeal.
Yes, you can absolutely use your own images on your website! We encourage clients to use high-quality, original or appropriately licensed stock images to enhance the uniqueness of their site. If you need help optimizing these images for web use, our team is here to assist.
It’s important to only use licensed or original content on your website to avoid potential legal issues. If you send in unlicensed images or content, we will not be able to use them on your site. We can help source properly licensed images or suggest alternatives to ensure your site remains compliant.
Yes, of course you can write your own blog posts! We’ll set up your blog section so you can easily publish and manage your content. If you need help, our team is here to support you with any technical aspects and we’re always willing to post a blog for you if you provide content and imagery.
Yes, we can manage your existing website while we’re building your new one. This ensures your current site remains operational and up-to-date during the transition.
Website Support
Absolutely! We can help with website analytics and tracking implementation. We specialize in setting up and configuring tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and other tracking systems to provide you with valuable insights into your website’s performance. We’ll ensure that your tracking is accurate and aligned with your business goals, allowing you to monitor user behavior, measure conversions, and optimize your site’s effectiveness. Whether you need a basic setup or more advanced tracking solutions, our team is here to assist you every step of the way.
Of course! We set up and configure tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and other tracking systems to provide valuable insights into your website’s performance. Our team ensures that your tracking is accurate, aligned with your business goals, and easy to manage.
Yes, you can update your website yourself. We build our websites on WordPress using the Elementor page builder, both of which are user-friendly and easy to manage. We’ll provide training and support to help you confidently make content updates on your own. Of course, if you need assistance, we’re always here to help. And if you make an update and something breaks, we can jump in and fix it, or restore your site to a previous stable version using one of the regular daily backups.
Absolutely! If something goes wrong with your website, our support team is here to help. We can quickly diagnose and fix issues to get your site back up and running smoothly. Additionally, we perform regular backups of your site, so if a critical error occurs, we can restore your website to a previous, stable version. Just reach out to us, and we’ll take care of the rest, ensuring minimal downtime and disruption.
Yup, that’s included in our support services! Whether you need new visuals or want to tweak existing images, our team can help source, edit, and optimize images to enhance your website’s appearance.
While WordPress allows a wide variety of plugins, we recommend consulting with us before adding any new plugins. Some plugins may conflict with others, or impact your website’s performance or security. Some plugins are not well supported or regularly updated, and can leave your site vulnerable to hackers. We can advise on the best plugins to meet your needs or suggest alternatives that work seamlessly with your site.
Our standard operating hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time. However, we offer extended support options, including after-hours and emergency support, depending on your plan and needs.
Yes, phone and video support are part of our commitment to providing best-in-class, premium, personalized WordPress management and development service. If you want to hop on the phone, send us an email and we can usually connect same-day. We’re also available for scheduled Zoom meetings when you need more in-depth assistance.
And of course, if a website emergency arises, you’ll have our direct line from the onboarding process and can reach out directly!
Our Dedicated Website Support offers far more than typical managed WordPress hosting. While competitors focus on basic server maintenance, we provide personalized, U.S.-based support with direct access to our team via phone or Zoom. We offer proactive 24/7 monitoring, tailored solutions for your specific needs, and on-demand changes with fast turnaround times. Additionally, we manage everything from performance optimization to security, ensuring your site is always running smoothly. Our service is a true partnership, designed to keep your website optimized and aligned with your business goals.
We strive to respond to all support requests within 24-48 hours, depending on the complexity of the task. Simple requests are often resolved within this timeframe, while more complex issues or projects may take longer. We prioritize urgent matters and work diligently to provide timely solutions.
For more information on our support services, a list of typical tasks, and more about resolution expectations and timelines, visit our Website Support page.
We’re based in the United States, and our team operates entirely from the U.S. We are native English speakers, ensuring clear and effective communication with our clients.
A Website Edit refers to smaller, routine updates to your website. This can include tasks like updating text, adding new images, changing contact information, or adjusting the layout of a page. Website Edits are typically quick and straightforward to implement.
For more information on our support services and a list of typical tasks, visit our Website Support page.
A Website Project involves more complex tasks that require significant planning, development, and design work. Examples of projects include creating a new landing page, developing custom features, setting up an eCommerce store, or integrating third-party tools. Projects are larger in scope than standard edits and often involve multiple steps to complete. Large-scale tasks like a full website refresh or implementing complex features like WooCommerce may also incur extra charges. Tasks unrelated to your website, like designing brochures, creating email signatures, and managing your social media are outside the scope of Website Projects.
For more information on our support services and a list of typical tasks, visit our Website Support page.
To submit a website edit request or report a technical issue, simply use our Support Request Form on our website. Our Support inbox is visible to our entire team and allows us to triage your request to the appropriate team member based on the complexity and urgency of the task. Once submitted, our support team will review your request and respond within 24-48 hours.
For tips on information to include in your support ticket that help us resolve your issue as fast as possible, read through our Support Guide.
Yes! Our management and support services are designed to work seamlessly alongside your in-house team, SEO agencies, developers, and freelancers. We collaborate with your existing resources to ensure your website is optimized and fully supported. Whether it’s coordinating with an SEO agency or working with your developers, we integrate smoothly into your workflow, providing the support you need without disruption.
Yes, we manage your hosting as part of our maintenance and support services. Our premium hosting with WPEngine ensures your website is fast, secure, and always online. We handle all aspects of hosting, including server updates, backups, security monitoring, and performance optimization. With our hosting management, you don’t have to worry about the technical side of running a website—we take care of everything. This allows you to focus on growing your business, while we ensure your site remains reliable and efficient.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
As part of our site build process, we include foundational SEO to help your website rank well on search engines. This includes optimizing meta tags, setting up a proper site structure, ensuring mobile responsiveness, and integrating essential SEO plugins. We also submit your XML sitemap to Google Search Console to ensure your site is indexed correctly and can be easily found by search engines. Additionally, we set up analytics tracking, such as Google Analytics, to monitor your website’s performance and provide insights into user behavior. Our goal is to create a solid SEO foundation that sets you up for success. For more advanced SEO strategies, we can discuss additional options tailored to your specific needs.
We offer technical SEO services focused on optimizing the performance, structure, and coding of your website to improve its search engine visibility. Our services include on-page optimization, site speed enhancements, mobile responsiveness, XML sitemap submission, SSL setup, and ensuring that your website follows the latest best practices for search engines. We do not offer content SEO, such as keyword research or content creation, but our technical optimizations create a strong foundation for your site’s SEO success.
Our approach to SEO is centered around technical optimization. We ensure that your website is well-structured, fast, secure, and easily crawlable by search engines. This includes optimizing meta tags, improving site speed, ensuring mobile compatibility, submitting XML sitemaps to Google Search Console, and setting up SSL certificates. We focus on making your site technically sound, which is a critical aspect of overall SEO performance.
Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. These links help search engines understand the credibility and authority of your website. While we focus on technical SEO and do not provide link-building services directly, a well-optimized site is more likely to attract quality backlinks naturally, as it provides a strong foundation for other SEO efforts.
SEO is a long-term strategy, and it typically takes several months to start seeing noticeable results. The exact timeframe can vary depending on factors like the competitiveness of your industry, the current state of your website, and the specific SEO efforts being implemented. Technical SEO improvements, such as site speed and mobile optimization, can sometimes lead to quicker gains, but overall, it’s important to be patient and consistent with SEO efforts to achieve sustainable results.
On-page optimization refers to the process of optimizing individual web pages to improve their search engine rankings and attract more relevant traffic. This includes optimizing meta tags (title, description), header tags (H1, H2), URL structures, image alt texts, internal linking, and ensuring that content is properly structured. On-page optimization also involves making sure your site is mobile-friendly and loads quickly, both of which are key factors in search engine rankings.
As part of our development and support services, we provide access to a suite of premium plugins and services that would otherwise cost over $960 per year for single-use licenses. These include:
- WPEngine Premium Hosting
- BlogVault (backup and staging)
- Elementor (page builder)
- WP Rocket (caching and performance optimization)
- Gravity Forms (advanced forms)
- Gravity Perks (add-ons for Gravity Forms)
- IG Feed Pro (Instagram feed integration)
- Advanced Custom Fields Pro (custom fields management)
- WP Review Slider Pro (social review display)
- Novashare (social sharing optimization)
- DV Team (team showcase)
- UpTime (uptime monitoring)
With these premium tools, we enhance your website’s performance, design, and functionality, without the extra cost to you.
Technical Questions
Managing DNS settings is crucial for directing your domain to the correct hosting server, email services, and other online resources. If you’re unsure how to proceed, our team is here to guide you through the process or even handle the updates on your behalf to ensure everything is configured correctly. Just reach out to us, and we’ll make sure your DNS records are properly updated. Here are links to the top domain hosting providers’ guides on updating DNS records:
- GoDaddy – Manage DNS records
- Bluehost – How to Update DNS Records
- HostGator – How to Update DNS Records
- Namecheap – How to Update DNS Records
- Domain.com – How to Update DNS Records
- SiteGround – How to Update DNS Records
- DreamHost – How to Update DNS Records
- InMotion Hosting – DNS Record Management
- Google Domains – Manage DNS Records
- AWS Route 53 – Working with Records
- Cloudflare – Managing DNS records
We typically avoid installing onsite security plugins (like WordFence) because they can sometimes cause more issues than they solve. These plugins can conflict with other plugins, leading to performance problems, block search engine bots, which affects SEO, and increase server load, which impacts site speed. They may also generate false positives, leading to unnecessary alerts.
Instead, we take a multi-layered approach to security, including hosting on premium servers with enterprise-level protection, using vetted and updated plugins, and performing daily backups. This approach ensures your website is secure and performs well without the need for potentially problematic security plugins.
That said, if you want us to install additional security measures or plugins, we’re more than happy to let you know the options and help you implement.
We perform daily backups of your WordPress site, ensuring that your data is securely stored and easily restorable if needed. If you need us to restore a backup to your live environment, or make an unscheduled manual backup, just call or email us!
We typically perform plugin updates weekly. Before we apply any updates, we make a backup of your site, and if there are any particularly large updates, we first test the updates in a staging environment to ensure they do not interfere with your website’s performance or functionality. This careful approach allows us to identify any potential issues before applying updates to your site, minimizing the risk of disruptions.
We require that your site be hosted with us to provide the most effective support. This ensures we have full control over the hosting environment, allowing us to implement necessary backups, updates, and security measures. Hosting with us also allows for quicker troubleshooting and resolution of issues.
The migration process involves several key steps:
- Backup: We create a complete backup of your existing website.
- Data Transfer: We securely transfer all your site data, including files, databases, and content, to our servers.
- Testing: Once your site has migrated to our server, we do a full QA of the site to make sure it is still functioning as it should.
- DNS Update: We update your DNS settings to point to our servers. You’ll either need to provide us access to your DNS, delegate access to us, or connect us with your IT team and we can provide instructions on how to update.
- Go Live: Once everything is confirmed, we make your site live on our hosting platform.
The entire process usually takes between 4 to 48 hours, depending on the complexity and size of your site.
Yes, we offer malware removal as part of our security services and onboarding process. In case of a security event, our team will immediately:
- Isolate the issue: We’ll identify and isolate the compromised areas of your site to prevent further damage.
- Remove Malware: We’ll clean up the malware and repair any affected files.
- Restore Backups: If necessary, we’ll restore your site from a recent backup to ensure it’s secure and functional.
- Strengthen Security: We’ll implement additional security measures to prevent future breaches and monitor your site closely.
If any infections are found within your site’s plugins or themes, we will promptly remove the infected components. This process includes reinstalling the WordPress core, updating all SFTP, SSH, and database passwords, and ensuring that all plugins, themes, and the WordPress core are updated to the latest versions.
Additionally, our hosting provider, WPEngine, is highly proactive in alerting us to any vulnerabilities or necessary updates, allowing us to act quickly to protect your site. Our multi-layered approach ensures that your website is secure and back to full functionality as soon as possible.
If your website experiences downtime or goes offline, our 24/7 monitoring system, powered by UptimeRobot, will immediately alert us. We’ll quickly investigate the issue, identify the cause, and work to restore your website as soon as possible. Our priority is to minimize downtime and ensure your site is back online and functioning smoothly with minimal disruption. You can rely on our proactive monitoring and responsive support to keep your website running reliably.
Yes, you can have access to the server where your site is hosted, as well as STFP credentials. We can invite you to be an account user within the WPEngine portal, giving you access to server settings, backups, and other management tools. This access allows you to manage files and configurations while still benefiting from our expert support and oversight to ensure everything runs smoothly. However, we recommend letting our team handle critical updates and configurations to avoid potential issues.
Your Masthead website is hosted on premium servers through our partnership with WPEngine, a leading WordPress hosting provider known for its speed, security, and reliability. Your site benefits from high-performance infrastructure and 24/7 monitoring.
You can learn more about WPEngine and why we host our sites with them in our blog post here.
What if I’ve registered my domain with another company? Can I use it for my website with you?
Not an issue! We can help with domain management and consolidation, but always suggest that clients own their own domain. It’s like a piece of digital real estate – you don’t want the deed in someone else’s name! If your domain name is registered with GoDaddy or any other domain registrar, you can provide us access, delegate access, or we can guide you through the process of pointing your domain to our servers.
Yes, we provide a free SSL certificate with our hosting services via LetsEncrypt and WPEngine. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts the data transmitted between your website and your visitors, ensuring that sensitive information like passwords, credit card details, and personal data are securely protected from hackers. SSL also helps establish trust with your users by displaying the padlock icon in the browser address bar, indicating that your site is secure. Additionally, SSL is essential for improving your website’s SEO rankings, as search engines favor sites with SSL certificates. We handle the entire setup process, so your site is fully secure and compliant with the latest security standards.
We implement several reliability and security measures, including daily backups, firewalls, SSL encryption, regular malware scans, 24/7 uptime monitoring, and weekly core software and plugin updates. Our security protocols are designed to protect your site from hackers, malware, and other threats, ensuring your data and your users’ data remain safe. Upon request, we can also activate 2 factor authentication, create a custom WordPress login URL to limit brute force attacks, configure reCAPTCHA to reduce spam form submissions, and enable HTTP security headers.
Yes, we will troubleshoot broken plugins and themes as part of our support services. If necessary, we’ll work directly with plugin or theme developers to resolve issues and ensure your site functions correctly. We can manage and monitor the support ticket activity until the issue is resolved. Our goal is to keep your site running smoothly and efficiently.
Yes, we handle everything within your WordPress ecosystem, including troubleshooting conflicts caused by plugins or themes. If an update or conflict arises, we’ll contact the plugin or theme developers directly to resolve the issue so you don’t have to. Whether it’s a technical issue, an update conflict, or a server problem with the hosting provider, we take care of the entire process to ensure your site runs smoothly. We manage everything related to your WordPress site so you never have to worry about waiting in support queues or dealing with technical issues again!
Yes, we support Zapier integration to help automate your workflows and connect your website with various third-party apps. For many apps, there are native integrations. When there isn’t, that’s when we turn to Zapier. This allows you to streamline tasks, improve efficiency, and integrate with tools like CRMs, email marketing platforms, and more.
For more information on integrations that we typically support, visit our 3rd Party Website Integration Services page.
Yes, we offer performance optimization services to improve your site’s page speed. This includes optimizing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, leveraging caching, and implementing a Content Delivery Network (CDN). We have a developer license with WPRocket that we configure on all client upon request, and can implement NitroPack if you’d like to set up an account with them to leverage their additional features.
Yes, as part of our development and support process, we provide a Staging and a Development site through WPEngine. These environment allows us to test updates, changes, and new features without affecting your live site, ensuring everything works perfectly before going live.
Yes, we can provide a full backup of your website upon request. We perform regular backups as part of our hosting and maintenance services, ensuring that your data is safe and can be restored at any time. If you ever want a backup, we can export a zip file and send it to you.
Our servers are optimized for WordPress and are designed to handle a wide range of websites, from simple blogs to complex eCommerce stores. While there are no specific limitations for most users, we’ll discuss any special requirements during the onboarding process to ensure your site is fully supported.
Technical Support includes a range of services such as regular updates (WordPress core, plugins, and themes), security monitoring, daily backups, performance optimization, troubleshooting, and assistance with website changes or issues. Our goal is to keep your site secure, up-to-date, and performing at its best.
For more information on our Technical Support Services, visit our Maintenance & Support Services page.
Our 24/7 website monitoring service continuously tracks the performance and uptime of your website to ensure it’s always running smoothly. We use advanced tools to monitor your site in real-time, alerting us immediately if any issues arise, such as downtime, slow load times, or potential security threats. Our automated tools ping your site every 60 seconds to make sure your site isn’t showing a 400 or 500 error.
If an issue is detected, our team is notified, and we quickly investigate and resolve the problem before it impacts your site’s performance or user experience. This proactive approach helps minimize disruptions and keeps your website functioning at its best around the clock.
Sales
Yes, we do! You can explore our portfolio to see a selection of the websites we’ve designed and developed. Our gallery showcases a variety of projects, from eCommerce stores to membership sites, highlighting our expertise in creating custom, responsive, and user-friendly websites. If you’d like to see more specific examples or discuss a particular project, feel free to contact us.
Yes, we do! Whether your website was built by us or another developer, we can host and support it. Our team is experienced in managing and optimizing websites of all kinds, ensuring they are secure, up-to-date, and performing at their best. We’ll assess your current setup and provide the necessary maintenance and support to keep your site running smoothly.
We do require that the site be hosted with us before we do any work on it. This policy ensures that we have full control over the hosting environment, allowing us to create reliable backups before making any changes. For more extensive updates, we often copy the site to a staging environment where we can safely implement and test changes without affecting the live site. This approach helps us maintain the integrity and performance of your website while providing the support you need.
Masthead Technology stands out for our personalized service, technical expertise, and commitment to long-term partnerships. We’re 100% US-based, which means you can easily reach us via phone or Zoom whenever you need support. We also provide premium hosting through WPEngine, ensuring top-tier performance, security, and reliability for your website. Additionally, our clients gain access to our extensive library of premium paid plugins, adding valuable functionality to your site without the extra costs. We don’t just build and support websites; we become an extension of your team, deeply understanding your business goals and tailoring our solutions to meet them. With Masthead, you get more than just a service provider—you get a dedicated partner focused on your success, offering the best tools and support to help your website thrive.
No problem! Masthead Technology is equipped to manage multiple websites for your business. We offer customized maintenance and support plans that can accommodate all your sites, ensuring they are each kept secure, updated, and optimized. Our centralized management approach allows us to streamline processes and deliver consistent quality across all your web properties.
Absolutely! We offer white-labeling services for agencies that want to provide web development, maintenance, and support under their own brand. We work behind the scenes to deliver expert solutions while you maintain the client relationship and branding. Our white-label service is ideal for agencies looking to expand their offerings without the overhead of managing these services in-house.
Yes, we offer a reseller and partner program for agencies and businesses looking to expand their service offerings. By partnering with Masthead Technology, you can leverage our expertise in web development, maintenance, and support to provide high-quality services to your clients. Our program is designed to help you grow your business while ensuring your clients receive top-notch service.
At Masthead Technology, we focus on more than just maintaining your website — we’re here to help you grow. We ensure your site is optimized for performance, security, and user experience, providing a solid foundation for growth. By integrating best-in-class tools like SEO plugins, analytics, and eCommerce solutions, we help increase visibility, drive traffic, and improve conversions. Additionally, we collaborate with any in-house team, SEO agencies, or marketing partners to implement strategies that align with your business goals, helping you scale and succeed online.
We take care of all the technical aspects of your website and online presence, including hosting, updates, security, and troubleshooting, so you don’t have to worry about the backend operations. With us managing the details, you can focus more on growing your business, improving products and services, and serving your customers, while we ensure your website runs smoothly and supports your growth.
