Your Website Should Be Beautiful. Maintaining It Shouldn’t Be Your Second Job.

DID THE INTERNET JUST BREAK? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IS YOUR BUSINESS WEBSITE OK?

Those are unsettling questions to ask before you’ve even finished your coffee. If you’ve seen the recent headlines about PHP security flaws and websites going offline, you might be wondering what any of it means … and whether there’s something you’re supposed to be doing. Understandable. You signed up to run a business. Emergency website security was probably not on your vision board. Let’s break down what happened, what it means for website owners, and why the platform I choose for my clients matters long after their website launches.

You have a business to run. Clients to take care of. A calendar that is already doing the absolute most.

And now the internet would like you to learn about PHP.

If you’ve seen the recent website security headlines and wondered whether you should be concerned, let’s make this understandable. Because you shouldn’t need a background in cybersecurity to understand what’s happening with your business website.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH PHP?

PHP is a programming language that helps websites work behind the scenes. WordPress uses it, along with many other website systems.

Think of your website as a venue. The design is what your guests see: the entrance, the flowers, the beautifully considered details. PHP is part of the equipment working behind the walls.

On October 21, 2026, PHP released emergency updates for two serious security flaws, commonly called “PHP2Shell.” On vulnerable servers, those flaws could allow someone to run unauthorized code … essentially, giving an intruder a way to issue commands behind the scenes.

The PHP team urged users to update immediately. This was an issue with the underlying PHP software, rather than a particular WordPress plugin. Updating a plugin alone wouldn’t repair it.

For business owners, the practical question became:

Who is responsible for making sure my website’s underlying software gets fixed?

That question deserves attention long after this particular headline disappears.

A WEBSITE COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITIES BEYOND ITS DESIGN

When you invest in a website, you’re probably thinking about how it looks, what it says, and whether it will help the right people inquire.

As you should.

But the platform underneath that beautiful design also determines what needs maintaining … and who handles it.

With a typical self-hosted WordPress website, there are several pieces involved: the hosting environment, WordPress itself, your theme, and any plugins that add features.

Plugins can be incredibly useful. They can also contain security flaws, just as other software can. Keeping those pieces updated and supported matters.

A good host or maintenance provider can handle much of that work. Some managed WordPress services take considerable responsibility for security and updates. The important part is knowing exactly what your arrangement covers.

Because “I assumed someone was handling that” is a deeply unpleasant thing to discover during a security alert.

WHY I CHOOSE SQUARESPACE FOR MY CLIENTS

At The Editor’s Touch, I design exclusively in Squarespace.

Yes, I love what I can create visually. But I also care about what owning that website feels like after launch.

Squarespace combines the website platform and hosting in a managed service. Its teams oversee the underlying platform and infrastructure, including platform security work. Clients aren’t responsible for installing PHP updates on the servers running their Squarespace websites.

Squarespace describes protections including security testing, a web application firewall, and a formal process for responding to security incidents.

For the wedding planners, florists, venues, interior designers, and creative business owners I work with, that approach makes sense.

You’re managing production schedules, client expectations, and the occasional email that begins with “just one tiny change.”

A simpler website maintenance arrangement has real value.

DOES THAT MEAN SQUARESPACE CAN’T BE HACKED?

No platform can promise that. And I wouldn’t make that promise to you.

Squarespace also supports third-party extensions and integrations. Those connections deserve thoughtful choices, too.

You still have responsibilities as an account owner: use a strong, unique password, enable two-factor authentication, be careful about suspicious login emails, and give account access only to people who need it.

What I appreciate is having the platform’s technical infrastructure managed centrally, with fewer separate website components for my clients to coordinate.

That’s the distinction I want business owners to understand.

BEAUTIFUL DESIGN SHOULD COME WITH A THOUGHTFUL HANDOFF

A website can look extraordinary and still be frustrating to own.

When I’m designing for a business, I’m thinking about both experiences: the person deciding whether to hire you, and you … the person who will need to update a portfolio, publish a blog post, or change a service description.

I want you to feel confident using the website you invested in.

For my clients, Squarespace provides a foundation I’m comfortable designing on, with an ownership experience that suits the businesses they’re building.

You deserve a website that reflects the quality of your work … and leaves you time to do that work.

Ready for a Squarespace website that feels like your brand and fits your business? Explore custom website design with The Editor’s Touch.

XO~ Heather