Do I Need Website Maintenance?
We get this question a lot. If you want a professional and well performing, website maintenance is key. Depending on your website, you may need maintenance more or less often. Some business owners don’t want the costs of maintenance. But having to replace a website that no longer works costs a lot more. Here are some helpful resources to educate you on website maintenance. And how the benefits make up for the costs.
Starting Website Maintenance
You decided you do need website maintenance. Where to begin? First item on the list will be to decide who will be responsible for the routine tasks. Is this an internal team member or do you need to find outside help? Next, decide what tasks you need help with. Is it mainly software updates? Or do you need help getting content posted to the website? Make a list of what is not getting done and where you need help. Last item will be how often do you want maintenance done? This list of articles will help you get started and answer these questions.
Website Administration
Someone needs to take ownership of your business website. Who on your team has the skills to do this? Even if you decide to hire outside help for the website, someone on your team needs to act as the internal contact. Website Administration includes keeping track of all important website data and logins. Managing the calendar of contact updates. Providing a point of contact when issues happen with the site. The website administrator should have access to help from IT resources and marketing. Here are some tips for taking on the administrator role.
Content Maintenance
Keeping a website up-to-date also includes managing the content. Content Maintenance should include a regular review of existing content. Deleting items that are out-of-date. Posting new information and adding new text to existing pages. Don’t forget linking pages throughout the site and checking for search optimization. We have a list of articles on how to schedule the content checks on your site.
Maintenance Services
Website maintenance services are typically performed on a monthly or weekly basis. Depending on your website platform they can include software updates or security updates. Services can also include help updating content on your website. Maintenance services can also be a great way to support your internal staff. Either with troubleshooting, questions or filling on while people are on vacation. Be clear on what website work is part of your package. Also clarify how you request help and how often you can send requests.
