What is Website Maintenance and why your Business Needs it.
You've just launched a new website, Great! You've taken a big step in the right direction for your brand, company or business etc to be known to a wider audience. However, if your website lacks maintenance, your newly found success could crumble gradually and this could result in a negative impact on your business.
It only takes around 0.05 seconds for a user to form an opinion about your website. So, if your website doesn’t load properly, shows outdated information, or features embarrassing errors, the damage can be far-reaching and even permanent. According to stats, 47% of customers will visit a company’s website before deciding whether or not to make a purchase, so you’ll want to make sure everything looks fresh and runs smoothly! Keep reading to know more about what Website Maintenance is.
What is Website Maintenance
Website maintenance is all about making sure your website is not only live but is up to date and free of errors. It is a routine act of checking your website for issues that negatively impact its performance and provide a poor user experience.
When business owners launch a new website, they usually believe that their work is done, everything is automated and it needs no further attention whatsoever but this would eventually cause more damage than good to your business reputation. Launching a website and not maintaining it is like buying a new car and not servicing the engine oil and other basic parts. Eventually, the car breaks down and the cost to repair damages is on the high side. In the case of a website, you lose customers and your business reputation gradually lowers due to poor user experience on your website.
After you launch a website, it's important to regularly perform web maintenance to prevent any technical issues, improve the user experience, and ensure your site continues to rank high in search engine results pages (SERPs). Website maintenance can be daunting, but keeping your site running smoothly is essential.
Why your Business Needs Maintenance
Website maintenance is, for most businesses, an opportunity to keep your unique content fresh. Have you observed that any website you know well enough and visit often still piques your interest when a fresh content has been added to it? And that’s the end goal anytime you update your website – to draw visitors in. Here are reasons your business needs a website maintenance:
1. Fresh content:
Modern digital marketing has shown that customers buy from brands they relate to. Fresh content optimizes the online experience, giving customers a reason to keep visiting your website. This applies to businesses of all sizes – even small ones. Regular content updates help keep users engaged and returning for more.
As part of your website maintenance plan, fresh content should remain a high priority. When you regularly update your website's content, visitors and customers have the opportunity to learn more about you. Sharing information about upcoming events, new team announcements, and other company news helps customers engage with your brand.
2. Higher SEO rankings
Every business strives to achieve online visibility and reach the top of search engine results. A well-maintained website is crucial in this endeavor, offering a significant advantage in search engine rankings. Websites with issues like broken links, confusing navigation, outdated content, or slow loading speeds risk being penalized by search engines.
Regular website maintenance helps identify and resolve these SEO obstacles on time, ensuring your site remains search engine-friendly. This wise approach will boost your online presence, driving more traffic and potential customers to your site.
3. Tackle Security Vulnerabilities
Unfortunately, the web today is filled with various negative individuals such as hackers whose sole intentions are to find vulnerabilities and bypass your security systems to obtain control of your business or request a ransom for release.
Hence, Security scanning is very important in web maintenance to ensure that your business website is secure from any malicious attacks or potential threats. By scheduling regular scans, security threats and vulnerabilities can be identified early on and fixed on time. This is also beneficial to your customers as they want to know that their personal account information is safe.
4. Sales
Sales are vital for any online store's success. The more customers who make purchases on your eCommerce site, the healthier your business will be. To maintain strong sales, it's crucial to prevent technical issues that can ruin the shopping experience. Technical Website Maintenance can easily detect and fix common problems that can harm sales such as:
- Faulty product ordering and checkout processes
- Payment errors
- Failed discounts and free shipping
- Low-quality product images
Online shoppers rely on clear, high-quality images and zoom features to explore products they can't physically touch. Professional visuals, including videos, help bridge this gap also.
Website Maintenance Cost
Hiring professionals for website maintenance saves you time, money, and effort. They're experts who know what works best and can handle tasks efficiently. Many routine website checks can be automated, freeing up your time to focus on other important things.
The cost therefore depends on your website's size and complexity. Having a small blog with basic features costs less to maintain than a large online store or government website with many pages, features, and requirements.
For example, maintaining a simple website with a few pages is relatively straightforward and affordable. On the other hand, a big website with multiple sections, user accounts, and frequent updates requires more work and resources.
By hiring professionals, you get customized maintenance solutions tailored to your website's unique needs. Luckily, Intellic Solutions can help you build and/or maintain your website at a cheaper cost. Contact us and we will get in touch with you immediately.
Conclusion
The frequency of website maintenance depends on the size, complexity, and update frequency of your site. As a general rule, performing maintenance at least monthly is recommended, but more frequent checks are ideal. This ensures your website remains current and functions seamlessly.
Website maintenance needs vary depending on the site's features and purpose. Simple updates may require mere minutes, while more extensive updates can take several days. It's essential to consider the scope of work when scheduling maintenance. Additionally, notifying users about ongoing maintenance is crucial to avoid confusion when encountering temporary issues. Displaying a maintenance message helps set expectations and minimizes frustration.
Regular maintenance prevents unexpected downtime, enhances user experience, and maintains your site's overall health. By prioritizing maintenance, you ensure your website continues to serve its purpose effectively.