What is website maintenance?
Website maintenance refers to the tasks required to keep your website functioning properly and up to date. It involves regularly checking your website for issues, correcting any issues, and making updates to essential plugins and themes.
Why is a website maintenance plan important?
Why is a website maintenance plan crucial for your business? Here are some of the top reasons.
1. The majority of customers conduct online research
Before making a purchase online, 87% of people conduct online research. People that are considering buying a product from you will likely end up on your website.
If your website gives them a negative impression of your company, they’ll likely continue their research on a competitor’s site, and you could miss out on a sale.
2. Your website informs users’ first impressions
If your website doesn’t work properly or looks outdated, customers will often click away. It will set a negative first impression of your business. If your website looks unprofessional, customers may think that your business is too.
3. Your website helps grow your sales
Your website plays a crucial role in guiding users toward making a purchase. In the case of e-commerce sites, your site facilitates purchases. If your site doesn’t work properly, you’ll miss out on potential sales.
4. Site visitors value user experience
Among consumers who have a poor user experience on a site, 89% will shop with a competitor instead. Regular maintenance prevents these poor user experiences and encourages potential customers to stay on your site, increasing your chances of making a sale.
5. A website maintenance plan improves security
Repairing the damage caused by cyberattacks is often costly, plus you may lose customers who no longer trust your company with their personal information.
Regular maintenance helps protect your site from cyber threats by keeping your security systems up to date.
When you maintain your security protections, customers will feel more comfortable making purchases on your site.
6. Website maintenance supports your SEO strategy
If users frequently leave your website shortly after arriving on it, Google may view this as a sign that your site isn’t relevant. This increase in bounce rate can lead to lower rankings in search results, which means you’ll drive less traffic to your site.
Persistent technical issues, security issues, and outdated website design, structure, or content all contribute to diminishing your search engine rankings.
What does website maintenance include?
So, how do you do website maintenance? Here are some of the most important tasks involved in website maintenance.
- Testing your whole website annually: Test your whole website at least once a year and after making updates. Check that all features work, look for broken links, and watch for outdated or incorrect information. Bring in someone not associated with your company to get a fresh perspective on your site’s usability.
Testing browser compatibility: Test whether your website works correctly in several versions of mainstream browsers at least once a year. - Testing your forms and checkout process quarterly: At least once a quarter, make sure all your forms and your checkout process are working properly.
- Checking for software updates monthly: Check for software updates from your hosting provider, security provider, and other third parties monthly. These updates help ensure proper functionality and security.
- Backing up your website: Backing up your website can save you from losing a huge amount of time and money if something goes wrong with your site.
- Reviewing key metrics weekly: Using tools like Google Analytics, review your website’s performance at least once a week. Check your key performance indicators (KPIs)and make sure your site is helping you meet your goals.
Website Maintenance Packages
Keeping your website maintained improves your business’s reputation, keeps your site secure, and helps you gain more leads and sales.
We offer several website maintenance packages that will ensure your site stays up to date, functions correctly, and remains secure. Get in touch with us to find out more.
As a full-service digital marketing agency, we also offer a range of other services, including:
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