Importance of Ongoing Website Maintenance

To avoid website maintenance is to invite disaster. A website that is neglected is not unlike a home that is neglected. The curb appeal is lacking, the inner workings deteriorate, the market value diminishes and in some cases, intruders (aka hackers) make themselves at home.

Keep your website alive.

Your website is in many ways a living thing. It needs TLC. And in this day and age, people expect websites to provide timely, relevant and engaging information, imagery and video content. Did you know that Google uses “freshness” as a ranking signal? Take this knowledge and make a point of freshening up your content on a regular basis. Rotate graphics to showcase products, post blogs on timely subject matter and examine trending topics. If it relates to your business, chime in and join the conversation. A living, breathing website is evidence of a business that is alive and well.

Backend is just as important.

Don’t forget the backend – you know – the stuff you can’t see. When it comes to website maintenance, the backend is no less important than the interface. Backups and updates are essential, otherwise, you’ll find yourself with an unreliable engine as time goes on. A thorough backup should include the following elements of your website:

• Website code files
• Website databases
• ImagesAdd-ons,
• plug-ins and themes

Scheduling regular WordPress backups is the best thing you can do for your website. They give you peace of mind in the unfortunate event that your website is hacked, your server goes down or you accidently lock yourself out. But remember – you should never store your backups on the same server as your website.

Keep those hackers away.

By not updating your WordPress core, theme or plugins, you’re essentially leaving the doors to your computer unlocked. Many people make the mistake of assuming that because their business is relatively small or that they don’t store data, that they are somehow not a target for hacking. This is simply not true. Most hacking is automated with programs that go out and seek vulnerabilities on a website. If the website hasn’t been updated, it provides an opportunity for hackers to penetrate and access valuable information.

Website maintenance helps with website performance.

We might be stating the obvious here but it bears repeating. By regularly updating your website, you’re optimizing its performance by ensuring a good user experience and pages that load quickly. Your visitors and customers will appreciate this. The alternative is likely to turn them off and they may never return. Hosting providers will often provide website maintenance but you should always do your due diligence and make sure they keep the backups of your content on a different server. Many do not.

Did you know that TRUEdotDESIGN offers website maintenance packages? Worry no more about stale content, slow-loading pages and unexpected hacking. We will ensure your website has the necessary updates and that all of your valuable information is safely and securely backed up and stored away – on a separate server.
So? Do you have a smart website maintenance program in place for your business? If you don’t or even if you’re not sure, give TRUEdotDESIGN a call and we’ll be happy to help you out.

Website maintenance isn’t a nice to have these days. It’s a must.