Description:
In this solo episode of The Builders podcast, Matt shares the real-life story of a weekend website meltdown that turned into a lesson-packed experience. Two of his websites went down due to unexpected memory issues on the server, forcing him to dive headfirst into troubleshooting mode.
Throughout the episode, Matt walks you through the steps he took to identify the problem, solve it, and most importantly, the lessons learned from the process. He offers practical solutions for small business owners and agencies on how to prevent these issues, with a focus on the importance of reliable hosting, effective memory management, and the value of having solid processes in place.
Whether you’re juggling multiple projects or trying to keep your website running smoothly, this episode provides real solutions and actionable insights from the trenches.
Key Takeaways:
- Reliable Hosting Matters: Why choosing a dependable hosting provider like Liquid Web can be a game-changer for solving issues quickly.
- Mastering Memory Management: How managing your server’s memory effectively can keep your site running smoothly and prevent downtime.
- The Right Backup Strategy: Regular backups are essential—but keeping them organized and under control is just as important to avoid server overload.
- A Plan for Troubleshooting: Developing and following a standard operating procedure (SOP) can make diagnosing and fixing web problems easier.
- Learning from Experience: With the right processes and lessons from past challenges, you can tackle website issues like a pro.
THE MEAT OF IT!
- Introduction
- Explanation of solo episode format and his weekend work routine.
- Importance of mixing solo episodes with guest episodes.
- Initial Problem Identification
- Discovering the websites were down.
- Prioritization of issues based on the importance of the sites.
- Balancing personal tasks with work-related issues.
- Troubleshooting Process
- Steps taken to investigate the downtime (checking server, contacting support).
- Introduction to his hosting provider, Liquid Web, and its benefits.
- Cause of the Downtime
- Discovery of massive backup files consuming server memory.
- Explanation of how backups work in WordPress and different tools used (UpdraftPlus, WP Toolkit).
- Importance of clearing unnecessary backups.
- Solutions and Preventive Measures
- Steps to resolve the issue, including removing large backup files.
- Best practices for managing server memory and backups.
- Lessons Learned
- The importance of having solid processes for website maintenance and backups.
- Value of experience and being able to troubleshoot based on past knowledge.
- Importance of Support Systems
- Discussion on the importance of having reliable web host support.
- Shared stories of good and bad hosting support experiences.
- Final Takeaways
- Encouragement to business owners to delegate technical issues to experts.
- Matt’s philosophy: It's not what happens, but how you handle it.
Click to See Episode Chapters and Timestamp
| Timestamp | Summary |
| 0:00 | The Importance of Process and Adaptation in Business |
| 5:21 | Troubleshooting Website Issues and Balancing Personal Commitments |
| 9:08 | Managing Multiple Websites with Liquid Web and Nexus |
| 11:28 | Troubleshooting Website Downtime with Liquid Web Support |
| 18:22 | Troubleshooting Memory Issues on a Web Server |
| 25:32 | Managing WordPress Backups and Server Memory Issues |
| 34:13 | The Importance of Backups and Maintenance in Development |
| 37:39 | The Importance of Reliable Support Systems in Web Development |
| 42:01 | Managing Backup Overload and Server Space Issues |
| 46:51 | Troubleshooting Woocommerce Subscription Issues Due to WordPress Update |
| 48:15 | The Importance of Troubleshooting and Experience in Tech Maintenance |
| 55:16 | Hiring Experts to Optimize Your Business Website |
Check out these related Episodes:
- Episode 188: Roger Einstoss – The Power of Nearshore: Building High-Performing Teams in Latin America
- Episode 184 – I Built a List of 10,000… Can I Do It Again? My 52-Week Drip Campaign Strategy & Process
- Episode 180 – Find Your Lane: The Importance of Specialization and the Role Passion Plays
Web Developer, WordPress & JavaScript Nerd at Unified Web Design, LLC
Matt is the Founder & Web Designer at Unified Web Design, Owner of UnifiedPlugins.com, blogger at MattLevenhagen.com ( who else would be? 😉 ) AND host of this amazing podcast, The Builders!
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