Often, when discussing the renewal of a website, the focus is on its design and structure. In other words, the goal is to change the HTML and CSS structure so that the site can adapt to various devices with a more appealing and modern design, incorporating higher-resolution images, animations, and increasingly advanced motion effects.
However, rarely is there discussion about renewing a dynamic website from the perspective of the programming language (e.g., PHP) or the language used to interact with the database (e.g., SQL). When this topic does come up, it’s usually too late. By then, too many versions had been released, or the servers hosting the websites (updated by their administrators to ensure security) no longer supported the outdated language versions used by sites that hadn’t kept up with the times.
The result was a blank page instead of the website.
The phone typically rings at this point, and the client complains that their website is no longer visible, even though it has been running for 7 or 8 years without so much as a pit stop.
Unfortunately—or fortunately—this kind of situation is becoming more common. New versions of programming languages are being released more frequently than in the past, significantly speeding up the aging process of websites.
So, how can you prevent this from happening to your website? First and foremost, you should always stay informed about the programming languages used to build your site and their versions. At least once a year, check to ensure that your hosting provider isn’t planning to discontinue support for the versions your site uses. Typically, your hosting control panel will notify you of the deadline by which a version will no longer be supported, or warning emails will be sent to the email address you use to administer your web space.
