Why this matters: You don’t need to be a security expert to know whether your website is being cared for properly. You just need the right questions. These six will tell you what you need to know.
Most small business owners don’t have the time or inclination to become website security experts. And you shouldn’t have to. That’s what you pay someone for.
But you should know whether the person or team managing your site is doing the job properly. These six questions will tell you. If someone can’t answer them clearly and without hesitation, that’s your answer.
These are the questions we believe every website provider should answer transparently, not because anyone asks (most don’t), but because it’s the baseline for doing the job right.
1. How often are security updates applied?
The biggest risk to most websites is not a clever attack. It’s known vulnerabilities that had patches available but were never applied. The question isn’t whether updates exist. It’s whether someone is installing them.
A good answer: “We apply security updates within a few days of release, after testing that nothing breaks.”
A concerning answer: “We update when there’s a problem” or a blank stare.
2. What happens if the site goes down?
Every website goes down eventually, a server failure, a configuration error, an expired certificate. The question is whether someone notices and fixes it quickly.
A good answer: “We monitor the site continuously and get alerts within minutes of any outage. We have a documented recovery process.”
A concerning answer: “We usually find out when a customer calls.”
3. How is the contact form protected?
Your contact form is an entry point to your business, and to your systems. It needs to be protected from automated abuse.
A good answer: “The form includes invisible protection that stops bots. Real visitors never notice it.”
A concerning answer: “We haven’t had any spam problems yet” or a description of something that frustrates your visitors.
4. Are backups tested, not just created?
Many sites have backups. Fewer have backups that are verified to actually work. A backup that fails when you need it is not a backup.
A good answer: “Backups run on a set schedule, and we periodically test restoration to make sure they work.”
A concerning answer: “We have backups somewhere” with no details.
When we build a site, backup testing is as much a part of the setup as the initial deployment. It’s not something we think about later. It’s built in from day one.
5. How long is customer data from forms retained?
Every contact form submission is customer data. It should have a clear lifecycle, stored securely while needed, deleted when it’s not.
A good answer: “We deliver form submissions to your email and don’t store them on the server beyond a short window. We don’t hold onto data indefinitely.”
A concerning answer: “I’m not sure” or “It’s in the database somewhere.”
6. Who monitors the site, and how?
Monitoring isn’t something you set and forget. Someone should be checking that things are actually working.
A good answer: “We monitor performance, uptime, security, and form functionality. We get alerts for anything unusual.”
A concerning answer: “It’s on our list” or “We check when you ask us to.”
These are the kinds of questions we answer before anyone asks, because they shouldn’t be a surprise after you’ve already chosen a provider.
If the answers aren’t good
If you asked these questions and didn’t like the answers, don’t panic. Most of the issues are fixable. They just require someone to pay attention. The first step is knowing what needs to change.
A well-maintained website is not a luxury. It’s the baseline for a professional online presence. If your current provider isn’t providing that baseline, you have a decision to make.
We believe in making this stuff transparent. You shouldn’t need to ask these questions because the answers are built into how we work: proactive updates, continuous monitoring, verified backups, protected forms, and clear data handling. It’s not extra. It’s the foundation.
The bottom line: Six straightforward questions can tell you whether your website is in good hands. A capable provider answers them clearly and without hesitation. If yours can’t, that’s information worth having, and a problem worth fixing.