Website Maintenance is a necessity
Many people assume that once a website is designed and published the job is done and there’s nothing left to do. If only it were that simple! Today we explain what website maintenance is and why it’s so important.
In many ways your website is like a home. Your website has a domain and your home has an address. Your home requires its own plot of land, and your website requires its own space for hosting. And just like a website, your home is designed and constructed to be long-lasting, functional and welcoming. However, if you leave your home exposed to the elements, you’ll eventually start to see cracks in the floorboards!
So it’s vital that you also give your website attentive, ongoing care. Without some TLC, your website can develop an array of problems, big and small. There are four key areas covered by website maintenance;
- Security
- Updates
- Repairs
- Hosting
If these areas are not maintained, your website could gradually begin to slow down, malfunction, fall victim to hacking or even get black-listed by Google Search Engines. Let’s try to avoid that.
Security
Website security is arguably one of the most important factors that you should consider when maintaining your website. This is especially the case in recent years due to the introduction of tougher GDPR regulations. If your website is receiving leads, contact submissions or accepting payments, it’s paramount that your website is safe and secure, for both you and your customers.
Even when taking hacking or data corruption out of the equation, Google will punish your website’s SEO if you fail to comply with their security recommendations. There are different tools and techniques developers utilise to keep a website secure, including having an SSL and backing up files, so ensure that you are on top of this. To learn more, check out our blog; ‘Top 5 Ways To Keep Your Website Secure’.
Updates
You may not realise it, but more than likely, your website is running with several plugins, themes and other external software that all require attention. Most websites in 2022 are built on CMS platforms, the most popular being WordPress. When new versions of these plugins and themes are updated by their developers, you need to ensure that they are being updated on your website.
Website performance updates require that someone regularly checks in on the vital signs of the website, including plugins, email functionality, and connections to external platforms such as Google Analytics, to make sure that both the internal foundations and on-page functionality keep ticking. We can’t stress how important this task is. If you don’t have the knowledge or time to check in on these factors at least once a month and make updates where necessary, you should reach out to someone who does.
Repairs
So, what happens if there’s a problem on your website? Maybe you tried to edit some text or add a new image, but before you know it; your beautiful site has disappeared! More often than not, a break on your website could be directly related to a prolonged time without running updates or accessing the overall health of your website.
If an on-page mistake or internal meltdown occurs, you will then need to have the knowhow to competently resolve these issues and ensure things stay that way. If you decide to outsource your website maintenance to a digital agency, these repairs are handled quickly by website developers as part of your maintenance package.
Hosting
Directly linked to website security, is website hosting. Not all hosting platforms are the same. The differences can vary from platform to platform, however you need to be aware if your website is run on a secure host. Hackers tend to gravitate to websites running on hosts that do not dedicate attention to security, so check online reviews and go with a hosting provider who protects their network. Better yet, consult an unbiased professional and see what they think.
Hosting is an area of website maintenance that may seem easy compared to some of the others, but it’s vital that you have a good, reliable host for your website, and you ensure that someone can fix things if they go wrong.
ITM Digital’s maintenance packages
At ITM Digital, we have website maintenance plans available to suit all your requirements. Whether you’re looking for an occasional update or daily assistance, we have a plan designed for you.
Our monthly packages will cover all of your security and maintenance needs so you can get on with running your business. ITM Digital look after and maintain many websites for customers throughout Ireland. Click here to learn more about our Website Maintenance Packages, including pricing details etc.
For more information about how to keep your website maintenance in check, take a look at some of our other blogs;
