Among the most important aspects of Shopify stores are consistent performance and security. Customers are increasingly giving preference to engaging with only those brands that assure security and provide a smooth shopping experience.
Ecommerce brands too, are taking multiple precautions to safeguard their websites from all sorts of dangers. Because even one incident can derail business.
Security vulnerability, performance lag and downtime can have a negative impact on brand reputation and customer trust.
And this is a key reason why eCommerce brands are hiring retainers for Shopify performance support.
Retainers can offer strategic proactive support to ensure smooth functioning, security, and quick solutions during any crisis.
In this blog, we explore how Shopify retainers can help you improve your store security and performance.
Shopify Performance Support Offered by Retainers
Here’s what XgenTech includes in these retainers:
Security Monitoring & Fixes
Regular security monitoring and updates are essential to ensure your site functions smoothly. Shopify retainer agencies can help with all-round services.
1. Regular platform and app updates
Platforms and apps regularly update security compliance requirements and security features. Non compliance and lapse in updating apps can lead to serious security breach incidents, causing business disruption.
Here’s how Shopify retainers can help:
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Regular and timely platform and app updates
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Update Shopify themes and platform with latest security requirements
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Retainers ensure they’re abreast with the latest requirements
2. Patch management
Apart from regular updates, Shopify retainers also have expertise in strategic security assessment. This service can help businesses take a long-term approach to security requirements, and gain a better ROI from their technology infrastructure.
Let’s look at some of these services:
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Regular updates of apps and themes
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Remove security bugs
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Thorough testing of updates in staged environments before going live
3. Malware scans and vulnerability checks
Based on the industry and complexity of your Shopify store, you may require advanced services to ensure security. While your in-house teams may not have such expertise, hiring monthly Shopify retainers can provide these services.
Here’s how retainers offer Shopify performance support for advanced security:
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Support in implementation of automated malware scanning
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Implement vulnerability checks with advanced tools
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Implement advanced scanning for data breach, malware, and malicious activity
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Offer security audits to identify potential threats before hand
Performance Optimization
Ecommerce stores require regular monitoring, updating, and optimization for the business to stay relevant and reach its target audience. That’s where Shopify retainers come in with performance optimization services.
1. Speed audits and fixes
Page load time and speed are critical factors for Shopify stores. They impact conversion rate, search engine rankings, and customer satisfaction. Hence, ongoing performance optimization is a must for businesses.
Shopify retainers conduct regular speed audits, fix issues that lead to slow speed, identify problems across the Shopify infrastructure, monitor server response times, check third-party integration performance, etc.
2. Image optimization
Another important Shopify performance support provided by retainers is image optimization. You may not realize but images on your site too need to be optimized and may be a reason for poor performance. And that’s where Shopify retainers come in.
Shopify retainers can help:
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Implement automated image compression
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Format optimization
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Responsive sizing that reduces load times
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Enhance visual quality
3. Code cleanup and theme streamlining
There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes in your Shopify store. For instance, over time, there may be a build up of technical debt that can make your site slow. And so, you have to ensure continuous clean up. This is where Shopify retainers can help.
Shopify retainers ensure your site is always clean of technical debt, such as unused CSS files, redundant JavaScript, inefficient database queries, etc. This regular and on-time clean up ensures your Shopify store maintains performance even when you add more content, products, and integrations on your site.
Preventative Maintenance
One of the best approaches to ensure smooth functioning of your site is to prevent any mishaps or disruptions from occurring. The solution: preventive maintenance. Here’s how retainers can help with preventive services.
1. Bug prevention
One of the most efficient ways to run a Shopify store is to take a preventive approach, rather than a reactive one. With a preventive approach, you can tackle problems before they occur. For instance, bug prevention can help you avoid issues that can disturb your site performance.
Shopify retainers provide bug prevention services, including proactive code reviews, testing procedures, quality assurance processes, etc. Retainer services create a systematic process to identify and address problems before they occur.
2. Backups and recovery systems
As with everything, your Shopify business also requires backups. If there’s a mishap or an accident, your store should be able to sustain it and get back up. That is why you need to set up backups and recovery systems. And retainers can provide the relevant Shopify performance support.
Shopify retainers help with backup and recovery services with automated daily backups (product data and theme customizations), app configuration backup, customer information backup, etc. Retainers regularly test these backups to ensure recovery systems are in place.
3. Version control practices
While updates and changes are an essential requirement, there may be times when you need to go back to an old version or setting. At such times, you will require professional help and expertise. That’s where Shopify retainers come in.
Expert Shopify retainers have an understanding of version control practices. Retainers can help you maintain detailed records of changes made to your store. This helps enable quick rollbacks in case any changes cause problems. Version control practices are an essential Shopify performance support you can ensure from retainers.
Compliance & Data Protection
To ensure your site does not get into any compliance and regulatory issues, you need to stay on top of compliance and data protection requirements. Here’s how retainers can help:
1. GDPR and privacy updates
As the eCommerce environment grows and expands, so do its regulatory compliance requirements. It is critical for Shopify stores to stay abreast with and ensure their site meets all compliance regulations.
Shopify retainers provide services such as regular compliance monitoring, timely updates based on evolving regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA. Additionally, retainers also provide strategic advice and help with privacy policy updates, cookie consent management, data handling procedure reviews, etc.
2. SSL monitoring
With increasing security concerns, customers expect eCommerce stores to maintain secure connections. That’s where SSL monitoring and certificate management come in. While Shopify business may not have in-house expertise to manage these, monthly Shopify retainers are an efficient option for the same.
Shopify retains provide services such as:
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Monitoring SSL certification expiration dates
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Implementing automated renewal procedures
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Conduct regular security audits to identify potential vulnerabilities in data transmission
3. Customer data integrity
In this age of increasing online data theft, ensuring the safety of your customers’ data is paramount. And this requires continuous monitoring, time, and effort. Having a specialized team of retainers for this process can help ease your worries.
Shopify retainers provide customer data safety services, including:
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Implementing and maintaining secure data storage practices
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Regular security audits
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Access control procedures to protect sensitive information
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Overall data security services
Wrapping up: Do you have Shopify Performance Support for your Business?
To run a Shopify store smoothly, you require a lot of time, effort, resources, and investment. Even if one aspect is ignored, your site performance might drop. And the effects can snowball into loss of revenue, customer dissatisfaction, churn, and seriously derail your business.
You can avoid this situation through proactive support by Shopify retainer agencies. Having monthly retainer arrangements can ease your workload, ensure predictable cost for maintenance of your website, and help you with various requirements.
If you’re looking to hire Shopify retainers for your business, reach out to XgenTech.
