What is a website staging and why it matters to your business

To succeed online, small to medium businesses (SMBs) need to have a well-developed and well-maintained website. A website can help SMBs attract new customers, increase sales, and build brand awareness. However, websites require regular maintenance in order to stay up-to-date and error-free. 

To ensure proper maintenance, developers use a method called website staging. It involves creating a clone of your live website to test changes before making them live.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about staging sites, highlight their benefits, and guide you on how to create and use one effectively.

What is a staging website?

A staging website, also known as a staging environment, is an identical copy of your live site hosted on a private server and not accessible to the public. It’s used for experimentation and testing new themes, plugins, and bug fixes without affecting your live site.

Let’s say you want to change the payment gateway your website uses for online transactions. Instead of directly making a switch on your live site and potentially disrupting the payment process for your customers, you can first implement and test the new payment gateway on the staging site. This way, you can fix any issues, make sure it works right, and only then apply it to your actual website.

Website development vs website staging vs live website

Website development

Website development is the process of creating a new website or making big changes to an existing one. It includes designing the website’s look, writing code, adding features, and putting in images, text, and videos. Developers work on the website on a special server that’s not open to the public. They continuously develop and refine the website until it’s ready to go live.

Website staging

A staging website is a private and separate copy of a live website that’s created to test changes, updates, and new features before implementing them on the live site. It provides a safe environment for developers to experiment without affecting the main website or causing disruptions for visitors.

Live website

A live website is the version that’s accessible to the public and anyone can visit using their web browser. It represents the final and official version of the website that users interact with. Once a website is fully developed and tested, it goes live for public access. The live website continuously undergoes maintenance, updates, and improvements based on user feedback, performance monitoring, and changing business needs.

Here’s a table that summarizes the differences between website development, staging, and live websites:

Do you need a staging site?

A staging site can be a valuable asset for many businesses and organizations, especially those that want to ensure a smooth and reliable online presence. Let’s explore some common use cases where having a staging site becomes highly beneficial:

If you can’t afford downtime

If your business heavily relies on your online presence to serve customers, any downtime or website issues can lead to revenue loss and customer dissatisfaction. Having a staging site allows you to test updates, new features, and changes thoroughly before deploying them to the live site. This minimizes the risk of unexpected problems and ensures a seamless user experience.

If you need regular updates on your website

Websites often require updates, whether for security patches, new content, or feature enhancements. A staging site provides a controlled environment to test these updates before applying them to your live site. This way, you can prevent potential issues caused by updates and maintain the stability of your online presence.

eCommerce websites

If your website deals with sensitive customer information, payment processing, and product catalogs, having a staging site is essential. A staging site allows your eCommerce business to test new product pages, checkout processes, and payment gateways without risking any disruptions to the actual shopping experience. It ensures that the purchasing process remains smooth and secure.

Software development companies

Developing and deploying software applications can greatly benefit from having a staging environment. It enables developers to test new features, bug fixes, and integrations in a safe space, reducing the chances of introducing errors in the live application and improving overall software quality.

Large-scale websites and applications

High-traffic websites and applications can experience performance issues when introducing new changes. A staging site allows you to perform load and stress testing to assess how your platform handles a large number of concurrent users. It ensures that your website or application remains stable under heavy traffic conditions.

Collaborative development teams

In projects where multiple teams or developers work on different components of a website or application, a staging site serves as a central testing ground. Each team can test their changes in the staging environment to ensure they work well together and don’t interfere with each other’s work.

Websites with complex configurations

Some websites may have intricate setups, such as custom plugins, databases, and server configurations. A staging site provides a safe environment to test these complex configurations without affecting the live site, reducing the likelihood of technical issues.

Content-heavy websites or blogs

If you publish a lot of content on your website regularly, you can use staging environments to preview and test new articles, pages, or multimedia content before they go live. It helps maintain consistent content quality and presentation.

How is website staging important for small to medium businesses

Testing and quality assurance

Staging environments offer a safe area for small to medium businesses to carefully try out new things like features, updates, or changes before they actually show up on their real website. This makes sure that everything runs smoothly and doesn’t have any problems that could deter potential customers.

Content review and feedback

For SMBs with content-rich websites or blogs, staging environments offer a chance to review and edit new content thoroughly. It allows businesses to obtain feedback from team members, ensuring that the content aligns with their brand image and resonates well with their target audience.

Avoiding costly mistakes

Fixing errors in the live environment can be time-consuming and costly. Website staging helps SMBs catch and rectify mistakes early on, minimizing the need for emergency fixes that may disrupt customer experiences and damage the company’s reputation.

Step-by-step guide to setting up a staging website

Setting up a staging website is a crucial step in ensuring the smooth deployment of changes and updates without affecting the live site. Here’s a step-by-step guide that outlines different ways to create a staging environment:

1. Choose the right hosting environment

Option 1: Using a staging hosting service

Some web hosting providers offer specific staging hosting services as part of their plans. These services typically provide easy-to-use interfaces for creating staging environments with just a few clicks. Look for hosting providers that offer this feature as it simplifies the process.

Option 2: Manual setup on a subdomain or subdirectory

If your hosting provider doesn’t offer a dedicated staging service, you can set up a staging site manually. Create a subdomain (e.g., staging.yourwebsite.com) or a subdirectory (e.g., yourwebsite.com/staging) on your existing hosting account to host the staging environment.

2. Replicate the live website

Option 1: Using staging plugins (WordPress)

For websites built on platforms like WordPress, various plugins can help you create a staging environment effortlessly. These plugins clone your live website’s content, themes, and plugins to the staging site with just a few clicks.

Option 2: Manual replication

For non-WordPress websites or if you prefer manual control, replicate the live website’s files and database to the staging environment. Use FTP or file manager to copy files and export/import the database to the staging server.

3. Test and validate the staging environment

Option 1: Review and test

Once the staging site is set up and the content is replicated, review and test the website thoroughly. Check for design consistency, functionality, and performance. Test different scenarios and user interactions to ensure everything works as expected.

Option 2: Collaborative testing

Engage your development team, content creators, and other stakeholders to conduct thorough testing. Use collaboration tools to track and manage feedback, ensuring that everyone’s input is considered.

4. Migrate changes to the live website

Option 1: One-click deployment

Some hosting providers or website management tools offer one-click deployment options to push changes from staging to the live website. This automated process streamlines the migration of tested changes.

Option 2: Manual deployment

For manual deployment, carefully document all changes made in the staging environment. Then, replicate those changes on the live website. This approach requires more attention to detail but provides complete control over the process.

Common challenges of website staging and how to overcome them

Website staging offers numerous benefits, but it also comes with its fair share of challenges. Here are some common challenges you may face during website staging and practical solutions to resolve them:

Manage data synchronization

Keeping data synchronized between the staging and live environments can be challenging, especially for dynamic websites with frequent updates or user-generated content. Changes you make in the live environment after the staging environment is set up may not reflect in the staging site. This can lead to discrepancies.

Regularly update the staging environment with the latest data from the live site. Schedule periodic data synchronization to ensure that both environments remain consistent. Use automated scripts or plugins to simplify this process and reduce the chances of data inconsistencies.

Ensure staging and live environments stay in sync

As development progresses, the staging and live environments may drift apart due to different updates and configurations. This divergence can result in testing results that do not accurately represent the live environment.

Create a clear process for updating the staging environment whenever changes are made on the live site. Establish version control systems or use deployment tools that make it easier to track and manage updates between environments. Regularly test the staging environment to confirm that it remains an accurate reflection of the live site.

Handling technical difficulties and compatibility issues

Staging environments may not perfectly mirror the live environment, leading to technical difficulties and compatibility issues. Differences in server configurations, PHP versions, or plugin settings can cause problems that weren’t present during testing.

Invest in a staging environment that closely matches the live server setup. Use similar server configurations and PHP versions to minimize compatibility issues. Ensure that any custom plugins or scripts used in the staging environment are also available in the live environment. Perform extensive testing in the staging environment to uncover and resolve potential compatibility issues before deployment.

Best practices for effective website staging

• Website staging is a critical process in the development and deployment of a website. Implementing best practices ensures that staging environments are effective and efficient. Here are some key best practices for successful website staging:
• Regular backups and data protection. Schedule periodic backups for both live and staging environments to minimize data loss, and ensure sensitive information is encrypted to protect it from unauthorized access.
• Establish a clear staging workflow. Keep track of all the changes you make to the website using version control systems, and document them carefully. Create a clear testing process with specific criteria to check if everything works well.
• Involve stakeholders and gather feedback. Engage clients, team members, and users throughout the staging process to obtain valuable feedback.
• Regularly clean up the staging environment. Regularly clean up the staging environment by deleting unnecessary files and test data. Keep all plugins and software updated, apply security patches quickly, and sometimes start fresh by resetting the staging environment for new testing. 

Protect Your Live Site and Avoid Downtime

Website staging is a must-have for businesses of all sizes. It’s a safe and controlled environment where you can test changes and updates before they go live, minimizing the risk of errors and downtime. 

To ensure your website’s continuous availability and success, consider exploring Web.com. With our expertise in web hosting and management, we can assist in setting up robust staging environments, provide essential backup and data protection, and offer reliable website support.