You’ve got your flashy new website, you’ve hit the publish button, and you let it go off into the big World Wide Web. It’s an exciting time… but that’s not the end of the story.
Many people are not aware that there are ongoing costs involved with owning a website.
Think of a website like a pot plant. If you’ve ever bought a plant, you know that it needs to be cared for. You need to water it regularly, keep bugs away and make sure it’s in a safe environment to flourish. A website is much the same, you need to update plugins, themes and core regularly, you need to run security checks to prevent the website from being hacked and you need to keep it in a fast secure environment. Your website needs to be properly cared for so that it can represent your business in the best light possible.
Do you want to be a bad plant/website parent? No!
Plant analogy aside, I’ve listed 5 reasons below as to why you need to give your website regular maintenance.
1. Hacked website? No thanks!
The number one reason to maintain your website is to decrease the chance of your website being hacked. Not having an up to date website is one of the main reasons websites get hacked. This includes updating your plugins, themes and core. On top of that regular security scans are vital to identifying any potential risks to your website. When looking for a maintenance plan it’s important to check they offer security scans and regular updates.
2. Google will be your best friend
Google loves fresh content, it loves safe websites, it loves fast websites. Regular maintenance of your website means you can keep it up to date and keep it safe, and that will keep Google happy. As a business owner, it is so important to keep a good relationship with Google, if you neglect your website and worse comes to worst Google can, and will, blacklist you.
3. Keep customers, don’t scare them away!
Ever been to a website and it’s slow to load, pictures aren’t appearing, there are broken links and suddenly you’re on a 404 error page. Yikes. Not pretty! Website maintenance means you can avoid these scenarios and keep your customers on your website rather than having them running for the hills.
4. Your website will never disappear!
Well, it’s unlikely and if it does it won’t be permanent. Regular website backups are a vital part of choosing a website maintenance plan. On the off chance that something does happen to your website; it gets hacked or your content gets deleted. Regular backups mean that if the worse does happen then you can restore your website pronto!
5. Value for money
When you think about website maintenance do you cringe? Does it take up way too much of your time? Time, that you could be spending running your business. By purchasing a website maintenance plan you are handing the reins over to an expert. Their job is to look after your website, keep it safe, keep it running smoothly AND even better if something does go wrong you know it’s in safe hands!
Have I convinced you? Website maintenance is such an important (if not the most important) part of having a website.
If you’re sitting there thinking “Where the hell do I start?!?!” don’t worry, there are people out there who can look after your site for you… like me!
Head over to my Hosting and Care Plan page to learn more and if you have any questions get in touch!
