Here is a Quick Tip for Webmasters…

Create a special hidden, possibly even password protected page on your website where you can list changes made to your website. Websites don't usually breakdown on their own. Should your's fail, you'll be able to easily refer back to your log to see what was changed, when it was changed and by whom if you have more than one person working on it.

It need not be complicated. Here is a simple example that you can cut and paste into your own site. Naturally you'll want to replace it with your own information:

Website Change Log

This page is for you to list the changes applied to the website. The most recent entries should be made at the top of the list so that they appear in reverse chronological order. The information should be entered in the following format:

  • 2011-12-03 -- Jack: Created the Website Change Log page, visible only when logged in as an adminstrator.

List of Changes to the Website

  • 2012-03-23 -- Jack: Updated the banner to reflect the new corporate image (requested by Jasmine)
  • 2012-02-14 -- Jack: Added the W3 Total Plugin to optimize website performance.
  • 2012-02-10 -- Jack: Scanned the website for broken links and fixed the 7 broken and 3 redirected links.
  • 2012-02-08 -- Jack: Did a search and replace on the whole database to change the corporate telephone number.
  • 2012-01-10 -- Jack: Created a new page for the upcoming Energize Your Life confrence and installed the Event Manager plugin.
  • 2011-12-14 -- Jack: Updated WordPress to version 3.4.1. Tested all pages and it all looks good.

Once  you've got it setup, put a shortcut on your desktop or your browsers favourites toolbar so that it is easily accessible.

If you can't password protect the page, at least give it a name that isn't easy to guess and never include any passwords or other details that might compromise the security of your website.

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