Does your web hosting plan include a staging environment? It should. I cannot over emphasize the importance of having one. Regardless of the size of your website and the seemingly insignificance of the change you want to make, you should TEST any and all changes to your website in a non-production environment that emulates your production one.

Many hosting plans now include staging environments. Those that do include automated tools for migration to/from production. Having a non-production environment is a great way to test any and all changes without impacting your live website.

Your workflow and processes should utilize the availability of staging environments. Afterall you are paying for it!

If you have any question on how a staging environment can benefit your business, please get in touch with me. I am always available for a courtesy consultation.

About Tim Burkart

Tim has been building websites since 1999 — six years before WordPress even existed. Over 25 years, he’s worked across nearly every era of the modern web: from hand-coded HTML through the rise of CMS platforms, the shift to mobile, and the current age of performance-, security-, and search-driven design.

He founded dot832 to bring senior-level WordPress expertise to small and mid-sized organizations — clients who deserve the same quality that big agencies reserve for enterprise accounts, but without the agency overhead, the project bureaucracy, or a rotating cast of subcontractors.

Tim has built sites for nonprofits, churches, professional services firms, product startups, and other agencies (as a white-label partner). His client work includes organizations like Refresh Computers, Hands For an African Child, and Adaptive Technologies, alongside 50+ others.

The Importance of a Staging Environment

About Tim Burkart