Website maintenance involves monitoring and maintaining the health and functionality of your website. This includes updating security measures, regularly adding new content, boosting traffic, and ensuring a positive user experience for your visitors. Reliable website hosting services play a crucial role in keeping your customers engaged and satisfied, while also enhancing your search engine optimization (SEO) and meeting Google’s standards.
No matter the size of your business, website maintenance is essential. But what exactly does it entail? How do you go about maintaining a website, and what advantages can you expect to gain? In this article, we’ll delve into the topic, providing answers to these important questions and more.
DEFINE WEBSITE MAINTENANCE
Just as you perform regular checks on your car to ensure it’s running smoothly, website maintenance services involve checking for any issues or glitches that may impact the functionality of your website. This includes updating security measures, improving traffic flow, and ensuring compliance with Google’s requirements. Reliable website hosting services are also crucial for engaging and retaining customers. Anyone who has worked with WordPress sites understands the challenges that can arise.
Regular check-ups are crucial to maintaining a healthy and optimal website. This isn’t a once-a-year or twice-a-year task, but rather an ongoing process of taking standard precautions to ensure your business runs smoothly and your customers have a positive user experience.
WHAT EXACTLY DO WEBSITE MAINTENANCE SERVICES ENTAIL?
Website maintenance services typically involve a range of activities that are performed on a regular basis to ensure that a website remains functional, up-to-date, and secure. The specific services offered may vary depending on the provider, but some common website maintenance tasks include:
- Updating website content: This involves updating text, images, videos, and other content on the website to keep it fresh and relevant.
- Testing website functionality: This involves testing the website’s features and functionality to ensure they are working correctly, such as links, forms, and search features.
- Backing up website data: This involves creating a copy of the website’s data, including files, databases, and configuration settings, in case of data loss or corruption.
- Updating website software: This involves updating the website’s software, including the content management system, plugins, and other components, to ensure they are up-to-date and secure.
- Monitoring website performance: This involves monitoring the website’s performance, such as page load times and server response times, to identify and resolve issues that may affect the user experience.
- Securing website: This involves securing the website from security threats, such as malware, viruses, and hacking attempts. This may include installing security software, configuring firewalls, and regularly scanning for vulnerabilities.
- Providing technical support: This involves providing technical support and assistance to website users, such as resolving issues with website functionality or troubleshooting errors.
Overall, website maintenance services are designed to ensure that a website remains functional, up-to-date, and secure, which can help improve the user experience and prevent potential issues that may arise from outdated software or security vulnerabilities.
HOW TO MAINTAIN A WEBSITE?
- Are you familiar with the recommended frequency for website maintenance tasks? For instance, comments on posts should be deleted weekly, while domain name renewal should be done annually. Once your website is live, it’s crucial to prioritize basic web storage tasks. We offer various website maintenance packages that cover different functions and their recommended frequency.
- Some annual activities include updating your domain name and reviewing website content for accuracy. Quarterly tasks include checking for room for improvement, updating web graphics and photos, and ensuring the website is easy to use and displays well on all browsers. You should also check if anything needs to be updated with your advertising and marketing campaigns and restore the most recent backup to ensure backup health.
- Monthly tasks involve checking website upload speed, reviewing security scans and addressing issues, analyzing website statistics, and checking the visibility of your local search. Weekly tasks include checking for 404 errors, updating basic plugins and website software, posting blog content, and checking for broken links.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO DO WEBSITE MAINTENANCE?
Websites are akin to a window into your business, similar to how eyes are believed to be a window to the soul. Visitors, whether customers or search engines, expect your website to convey that your business is professional and offers valuable products or services. Consistent website updates and maintenance are crucial for attracting and retaining customers, offering useful content, and keeping up with good search engine rankings.
Let’s delve into the key benefits of regular website maintenance in more detail.
Customer experience
Imagine being a customer who visits a website that has slow load times, spam messages popping up every few seconds, and broken links scattered throughout. Such a frustrating experience would likely leave you feeling angry and dissatisfied. On the other hand, visiting a well-maintained website with good design, relevant content, and easy navigation would make you happy and satisfied.
Today, around 89% of businesses primarily compete based on customer experience, a significant increase from the 36% that did so in 2010. Therefore, regular website maintenance is crucial for providing a better customer experience. Not only will this please your customers, but it can also increase your revenue by encouraging them to purchase your products or services. Additionally, satisfied customers may become your promoters by sharing your website and business with their friends and family, all for free.
SEO
Visitors to your website aren’t just limited to customers. Web crawlers are another type of visitor that can either promote or harm your business. That’s why Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial and worth understanding.
In essence, Google uses its Google bots to analyze your website, looking for pieces of information that demonstrate its value. This includes examining your website’s keyword usage, structure, organization, and identifying any site errors. If Googlebot finds malicious redirects, duplicate pages, or error pages, your SEO ranking will plummet. This means that your business will struggle to rank well on search engines, making it difficult for potential customers to find you. A consistent stream of legitimate traffic to your website is essential for the health of your business, which is why it’s crucial to ensure everything is optimized properly.
Business reputation
Building trust with customers is crucial for any business. However, a website that’s poorly maintained with many broken links, outdated content, and dead pages can be a turnoff for potential customers. They may perceive your business as ineffective, outdated, and insecure.
To establish your business as a trustworthy and up-to-date company, it’s essential to invest in regular web maintenance services. Fix broken links, create new content, and redirect old pages to ensure that your website is current and user-friendly. By doing so, you can make a positive impression and earn the trust of your customers, which is critical to the success of your business.
Cost savings
Neglecting the upkeep of your website can lead to a plethora of problems and complications. Poor maintenance practices can result in your website experiencing periods of downtime or even a complete loss of business. If issues continue to pile up, the cost of repairing them can soar into the thousands of dollars.
That’s why it’s prudent to invest in web hosting services and ensure that your website remains in good health and condition. By doing so, you will not only safeguard your business but also avoid unnecessary expenditure.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST FOR WEBSITE MAINTENANCE PER MONTH?
- Website maintenance can become a source of discomfort, but procrastinating can exacerbate the situation. Opting for reliable storage services can prove to be a wise decision, saving you time, effort, and stress in the long run.
- The cost of your domain name depends on the hosting company you choose, with each provider having their own pricing, packages, and fees. The typical annual cost for a domain name is between $10 and $15.
- Monthly hosting plans can vary from $10 to $99 for managed hosting. You’ll also need to regularly update your website, including scheduling updates, checking performance, and correcting source code errors. If you lack an in-house IT specialist, you may need to consider hiring an IT consultant or a web design company. You have the option of either paying for maintenance on an as-needed basis at a rate of around $120/hour or selecting a fixed price plan that may cost anywhere from $50 to $100 per hour.
- Content is another critical aspect of website maintenance. Despite having the best service or product in the market, outdated content can diminish the value of your website. You should engage a copywriter to create engaging content that can boost your website’s search engine ranking. Independent copywriters typically charge per hour, per piece, or per word.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential to ensure your website ranks well on Google. Without it, your business may go unnoticed. SEO specialists ensure that your website is well-organized to appear on the first page of Google. You can hire an SEO specialist or engage a company that provides SEO services. Monthly SEO costs range from $200 to $800, including services such as keyword research, website analysis, site analytics, off-page link building, and competition analysis.
ADVANTAGES OF INVESTING IN WEBSITE MAINTENANCE SERVICES
Investing in website maintenance services has numerous benefits for businesses of all sizes. Here are some of them:
- Firstly, website maintenance ensures that your website is functioning optimally and efficiently, providing users with a seamless experience. This can help to improve customer satisfaction and retention rates, ultimately leading to increased revenue.
- Regular maintenance also helps to identify and resolve issues before they become major problems, saving time and money in the long run. Additionally, investing in website maintenance services can help to enhance your website’s security, protecting it from potential threats such as hacking and data breaches.
- Moreover, regularly updating and refreshing your website’s content can boost your search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find your business online. This can increase traffic to your website and ultimately drive more conversions.
Overall, investing in website maintenance services can provide businesses with a competitive edge in today’s digital landscape, helping to improve user experience, boost security, and increase revenue.
HOW THATWARE CAN HELP YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
If you find managing your WordPress website to be a tedious and frustrating process, working with freelancers might result in poor communication and suboptimal maintenance. Hiring an in-house team is also an expensive option.This brings us to the most favorable choice: partnering with a web hosting company like ThatWare, which can efficiently manage your website, enhance its performance, and ensure its security while adhering to your budget.
ThatWare is the optimal solution for website development, hosting, and maintenance. Our services are extensive, including web management, hosting, and storage, and we make automatic updates to keep your website current.
Some of the services we offer are:
- Migration of websites on the ThatWare platform.
- Hosting services.
- SEO updates.
- Plugin updates.
- Manage overtime website 24/7.
- Security scans and malware.
- Full mobile compatibility.
- Content updates.
- System and software updates.
Conclusion
In today’s digital age, having a professional website is essential for any business looking to establish a strong online presence. A well-designed website not only provides credibility to your brand but also helps to attract potential customers, increase engagement, and drive sales. By partnering with a professional web development company like ThatWare, you can streamline your online presence and ensure that your website is up-to-date, secure, and optimized for performance. With a range of services including website development, hosting, and maintenance, ThatWare can help you create a visually appealing and user-friendly website that reflects your brand’s values and meets your business needs.