It’s no mystery that, as a business owner, having a website is crucial. However, how often are we seeing business owners launch their website and ignore website management entirely?
If your site isn’t maintained adequately, there is almost a 100% chance you’re losing valuable customers and clientele and regrettably, that’s affecting your business’s bottom line..
What Is A Website Maintenance Plan?
A website maintenance plan is a recurring premium service that keeps your website up-and-running.
What Is Included In A Website Maintenance Plan?
A website maintenance plan includes the website’s plugins, themes, and core. However, a website maintenance plan can also include other services such as site monitoring and backups. Since there are so many different service options, many providers have a collection of various plans so that clients can choose as many or as few as they want. A tailored maintenance plan can typically offer a few, or all, of the following services:
Security
Detect attacks or threats and securely prevent both. Restore backups and execute security fixes on an as-needed basis. You could add SSL certificates (a digital certificate that offers authentication for a website and allows an encrypted connection) to the list as well.
Commonly used tools include:
Backups
Carry out manual and automatic backups on your chosen schedule, enabling you to restore the website if needed.
Commonly used tools include:
Updates
Update website themes, core, and plugins to solidify that everything works together cohesively as planned. Solve any issues that may arise.
Site Monitoring
Detect 404 errors, speed issues, broken links, etc. Solve issues or identify how to solve issues.
Commonly used tools include:
Consulting
Help grow your online presence and business. This service offers functionalities for Zoom, scheduling appointments, email, phone calls, etc., to assist with business development and training.
Analytics
Use industry-best tools to critically examine traffic. See suggestions for design, content, etc. This functionality also has the option for A/B testing (comparing two different types of a page element by testing users’ response to option A vs. option B and concluding which option is more impactful).
Commonly used tools include:
Marketing
Leverage social media management, email, and newsletter campaigns, and advertising to help broaden online presence and audience.
Content
Perform updates to content with layout changes, images, and text. Websites need updated content to remain relevant and up-to-date. Here you can handle website copy, blog content, and manage comments. You can decide on a schedule for content as well.
Why Do Companies Need A Website Maintenance Plan?
A website maintenance plan is guaranteed to make a positive impact on testing and improving your website. The versatility of offerings to choose from when opting for a website maintenance plan makes this option a no-brainer. By being able to pick and choose which aspects you need help with, you’re able to stay in control of cost. Choosing outside help that services you continuously means ensuring you have a top-performing website that functions seamlessly.
Website maintenance minimizes or removes security vulnerabilities and guarantees that your visitors can access your website’s information as needed.
Investing in a website is similar to investing in a car. There are many intricate moving parts, and you get more bang for your buck when you follow a maintenance plan. Maintenance for both a car and website increases two important characteristics: lasting value and reliability.
Bottom Line
If you only read one part of this blog, let it be this section:
Website Maintenance Helps You Maintain Security
We bolded/underlined/italicized that word for a reason. Security is the biggest issue you’ll find in news headlines and the number one reason why website maintenance is crucial.
We can’t say it enough. Making sure your website is maintained with detection for security in today’s technological climate has never been more important.
Regardless of what your business uses as a content management system, it’s imperative to ensure you run the latest version. This solidifies that the latest security patches, updates, and bug fixes are installed on your site.
Most hackers aren’t going after “big hits” or tens of thousands of dollars. Most hacks occur through simple website malware. Hackers want to get by with the least amount of detection. According to the Hosting Tribunal, 43% of cyber attacks are aimed at small businesses. As a result, they seek out old websites because they’re easier targets. If you were a thief, an unlocked door would be a no-brainer, no?
These bugs can affect not only you but potentially every website visitor of yours, too.
Website Maintenance Helps You Backup Your Essentials
One of the most important parts of web maintenance is backing up all of your website’s most essential materials and files. This can be done manually or through your web hosting provider’s automated service offerings. Backing up your files is extremely important because the last thing you want is to lose all of your website’s information. Doing so is like having your home unexpectedly collapse and needing to rebuild from square one. This is quite an undertaking and a major blow to one’s time, money, and resources.
If your website is simple and informational, backing up monthly could be sufficient. However, if your website is complex with dynamic components such as an eCommerce store, or ever-changing images and content, backing up more frequently is crucial.
Website Maintenance Helps You Keep Your Customers Coming Back
If there’s one thing to be said about the internet, and even more broadly, technology, is it’s always changing. The only constant is, ironically, that there is constantly something new to be found. The only thing one can expect is the unexpected.
As a result, shoppers and customers in this day and age are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with anything that isn’t fresh.
Prospects, or even current clients, can tell when something is stale before even you can. What’s the remedy to this ever-growing, consumeristic hunger? Keeping your customers engaged, excited, and happy with the entice of routine updates to your website. Fill them in on any changes in your services and products and share interesting, relevant information that tickles their senses to take action.
Website maintenance allows you to ensure your website is actionable, moving, fluid, living, and human. Web maintenance means making changes that open a conversation. Actionable items include: online purchases, signing up for an event, finding a sale, or asking for help.
Web maintenance paves the way for driving traffic with regularly added content to your social media platforms, e-newsletter, or blog.
A neglected blog is the equivalent of a busy signal on a phone line. Don’t leave your customers hanging! Give, give, give. Add value to their lives. That’s what keeps the seller-to-consumer relationship alive.
How Gravity Junction Can Help
Gravity Junction helps brands like yours across the world create a fool-proof digital marketing plan for their businesses. This includes everything from web development to content creation so that you can stick to decision-making from the front seat.
Aside from being a global leader in digital marketing, here at Gravity Junction, we prioritize human connection in the way we do business. The unity and respect amongst our team bleeds into the output to our customers. Part of this human approach means grade-A customer service, finding and utilizing the best outlets for our brands, and putting you and your business first. Revolutionizing your brand can start today. To set up a call with one of our industry-leading brand experts, contact us.
Be sure to share this with your fellow badass entrepreneurs to ensure they keep their website fresh, seamless, and profitable.
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