Website Maintenance 101: What You Need to Know and Why
You’re here for one of two reasons: either you’re researching websites to see what to expect, or you already have a website and are wondering if website maintenance should be on your radar.
Ongoing maintenance is more essential than many expect, and the type and extent of work depend on how your site is built—is it custom-coded, WordPress-based, on Shopify?
For some designers and developers, websites are “sell it and forget it” projects: they finish the work, hand off the site, and move on. But what happens after launch?
Let’s dive in and see if your website needs ongoing maintenance.
A little hint? It always does.
Why Website Maintenance Matters
Security
Regular scanning for vulnerabilities and staying updated with security patches help ensure that both your data and your users’ data remain safe. While security is crucial for every website, it’s especially critical if you handle sensitive data, like payments, personal information, or health records.
Performance
A website left unattended often begins to slow down, with load speeds becoming an issue. Just like no business operates in isolation, no website functions in isolation either. As external software, integrations, and dependencies are updated or retired, your site may gradually become slower or less responsive, leading to a poor user experience.
SEO
Search engines update their algorithms frequently, which affects how your website ranks. Regular maintenance can help keep your site optimized and maintain its search ranking by addressing new SEO trends, monitoring analytics, and making adjustments to remain competitive.
User Experience
Links break, pages go stale, and features can glitch over time. Regular maintenance helps you catch these issues before they start driving visitors away, ensuring your website remains fresh, navigable, and trustworthy.
What is Included in Website Maintenance?
Core Software Updates
If your site uses a platform like WordPress, keeping plugins, themes, and the core CMS updated is essential for security and functionality. Custom-built sites rely on various libraries and frameworks, which also require periodic updates to maintain compatibility and reliability.
Security Monitoring
Hackers are always on the lookout for vulnerable sites, and sometimes, the platforms, plugins, and themes your site relies on may develop vulnerabilities. Regular monitoring helps detect suspicious activity and allows for immediate intervention to secure your website.
Backups
Regular backups protect your site’s data. This is crucial for sites that are frequently updated, such as e-commerce stores or blogs. In case of a technical issue, a recent backup ensures you can restore your site quickly and minimize data loss.
Content Updates
Keeping your site’s content relevant, accurate, and up-to-date is essential. An outdated site signals to visitors that the business may be inactive or unresponsive. Routine updates keep your brand credible and ensure users see your best work.
Technical Performance Checks
Websites are complex, and seemingly small changes can lead to issues like broken links, missing pages, or slower load times. Regularly checking for these issues helps you maintain a smooth user experience and minimize frustration.
SEO & Analytics Monitoring
To stay competitive, monitoring your site’s SEO performance and analytics is crucial. Regular SEO adjustments help adapt to algorithm updates and keep your ranking stable. Staying informed about analytics lets you respond to changing user behavior and maintain a competitive edge.
Signs Your Website Needs Maintenance
Slow Load Times
If your site is getting sluggish, it’s often due to outdated elements or unoptimized code. This is a sign that your site could use a tune-up to improve speed and overall user experience.
Outdated Content or Features
If your content hasn’t been updated in a while, it may not be accurate, and broken or outdated information can harm your credibility. Keeping content relevant keeps your audience engaged and reassured that your business is active.
Frequent Downtime or Errors
Frequent downtime, broken links, or error messages indicate technical issues that maintenance can help resolve. These errors are more than just annoyances—they can impact traffic, sales, and SEO ranking.
Declining SEO Performance
Dropping in search rankings is often a sign of a maintenance issue. Your content could be outdated, or your site may not meet current SEO standards. Regular maintenance can help prevent these declines and keep your SEO performance on track.
Understanding Maintenance Frequency
Factors that Influence Frequency
Some websites need more maintenance than others. Blogs, e-commerce sites, and time-sensitive sites often require more frequent updates. High-traffic sites benefit from regular maintenance to ensure uninterrupted functionality and a smooth user experience.
Complex websites with numerous integrations may also need more attention as software updates in connected tools can create new issues or conflicts on your site.
Typical Schedules
- Monthly: Small businesses, personal websites, or blogs can often perform well with monthly maintenance.
- Weekly: E-commerce sites and sites with high traffic generally benefit from weekly check-ins to keep everything running smoothly.
- Occasional: Sometimes, specific updates or new features require additional maintenance for a short period.
In Summary
Ongoing website maintenance is critical for keeping your business secure, your customers happy, and your growth on track. While maintenance requires time and effort, neglecting it can result in issues that slowly drive traffic away.
Curious about how your website could benefit from ongoing maintenance? Reach out to us for a free consultation!
Do You Need Website Maintenance?
Contact us for a free consultation, where we’ll explore how to make your website reflect the quality and value you know it has behind the scenes
