An independent reference for owners of small websites. Not affiliated with the former site and forum on this domain; we promise no earnings and sell no services.
Guides
Most trouble with small websites comes not from sophisticated attacks but from forgotten details: the domain expired, the certificate didn't renew, a plugin hasn't been updated in ages, there's no backup. This section collects short guides to a site owner's core tasks. They are written in general terms: every control panel and CMS labels its menus differently, so check their documentation. The catalogue of standalone articles will also live here.
An hour spent setting up automatic backups is worth more than any evening spent rescuing a site.
How this section works: we describe actions in general terms, without tying them to specific hosting providers, CMSs or plugins and without advertising. The guides apply only to your own websites. We do not explain how to buy links, inflate metrics or build doorway pages.
Five tasks that start the upkeep of almost any small website.
Pick a short, clear name with no double meanings, and register the domain in your own name, not your contractor's. Compare hosting by supported technologies, backups, support, renewal terms and how easy it is to move away.
Issue a TLS certificate in your hosting control panel or through a certificate authority such as the free Let's Encrypt. Set up a redirect from HTTP to HTTPS and automatic certificate renewal.
Back up both the files and the database. A common rule of thumb is "3-2-1": three copies, on two different types of media, with one copy off-site. Check from time to time that a backup actually restores.
Make a backup before updating, then update the CMS, themes and plugins. If you can, test updates on a staging copy of the site first. Delete extensions you don't need rather than just deactivating them.
If your site collects names, email addresses or phone numbers through forms and newsletters, Russia's Law 152-FZ requires visitor consent and a personal data policy; other countries have their own rules, such as the EU's GDPR. Describe what you collect, why, and how you store it.
This section will feature standalone articles written for English-speaking readers. They are written with their needs in mind and are not translations of articles from other language versions of the site.
A beginner explainer for ARC Raiders: how the extraction loop works, realistic learning goals, a pre-raid checklist and how to keep up with game updates.
A practical look at Old School RuneScape skill training: how to compare self-training, guides, communities and paid services, and the rule risks to weigh.
How to plan an Aion 2 ranger after the global launch: what is confirmed about combat, where to find current skill information and how to spot outdated builds.
An editorial overview of GTA 6 resources: what Rockstar has confirmed, what is still speculation, and how to judge fan sites, communities and services.
Write down who the site is for and what visitors should find or do there. The structure, size and hosting requirements all depend on this.
Register the domain in your own name and turn on auto-renewal. Use a contact email address you are sure to keep access to.
If the domain is registered to a contractor, you can lose the site together with its address when you part ways.
Compare hosting types for your task: shared or static hosting is often enough for a brochure site or a blog, while a busy project may need a VPS.
Issue a certificate, set up a redirect to the secure version and check that pages have no mixed content — images and scripts loaded over HTTP.
Set a strong admin password, turn on two-factor authentication, and remove demo content and unused themes.
Create a robots.txt file and a sitemap, and check that admin areas are kept out of indexing while the pages you need are open to it.
Set up regular backups and uptime checks so you learn about outages before your visitors do. Then you can publish the site.
Types of tools for site owners: hosting control panel, CMS, analytics, speed testing, monitoring, password manager — no brands.
Threats to a small website: outdated plugins, weak passwords, spam sign-ups, malicious injections, phishing, domain loss.
Site won't load, site hacked, comment spam, site gone from search, slow loading, certificate error — what to do.
Information on standards and laws is based on official sources as of the preparation date. Technologies, search engine rules and laws change, so check the current documentation and the laws in force.