What is website maintenance?
Perform regular maintenance to avoid problems!
Your website is the foundation of your company’s online presence.
Internet users consult it to learn about your company, find your contact details and buy your products.
If your website isn’t working properly or is out of date, you risk losing out on important opportunities, such as new leads and sales.
Given that 94% of first impressions are linked to website design, people can get the wrong impression of your company if your site isn’t up to date and functional.
What’s more, if you’re an e-commerce company and your e-commerce functionality isn’t working, people won’t be able to buy your products.
Regular maintenance of the website helps to avoid these problems.
In this article, we’ll explore what website maintenance is, what it includes and why it’s so essential for your business.
Our extensive list of services helps you grow every aspect of your business with marketing strategies that are proven to increase bottom-line metrics such as revenue and conversions.
What is website maintenance?
Website maintenance refers to the tasks involved in keeping your site up to date and running smoothly.
It involves regularly checking your website for problems, correcting any issues and making updates.
Why is a website maintenance plan crucial for your business?
Here are some of the main reasons:
1. Most customers search online
Before making an online purchase, 87% of people conduct online research.
People considering buying from you will probably end up on your website.
If your site gives them a negative impression of your company, they’ll probably continue their search on a competitor’s site, and you could miss out on a sale.
2. Your website influences users’ first impressions
If your website doesn’t work properly or looks outdated, customers will often click on it.
This will give a negative first impression of your company.
If your website doesn’t look professional, customers may think your company is too.
3. Your website helps boost your sales
Your website plays a crucial role in guiding users towards the act of purchasing.
In the case of e-commerce sites, your site facilitates purchases.
If your site isn’t working properly, you’ll miss out on potential sales.
4. Site visitors value the user experience
Among consumers who have a bad user experience on a site, 89% will shop at a competitor.
Regular maintenance prevents these bad user experiences and encourages potential customers to stay on your site, increasing your chances of making a sale.
5. A website maintenance plan improves security
Cyber attacks cost US companies $15.4 million a year.
Repairing the damage caused by cyber attacks is often costly, and you risk losing customers who no longer trust your company with their personal information.
Regular maintenance helps protect your site against cyber threats by keeping your security systems up to date.
When you maintain your security protections, customers feel more comfortable making purchases on your site.
6. Website maintenance supports your SEO strategy
If users frequently leave your website shortly after arriving, Google may see this as a sign that your site is irrelevant. This increase in bounce rate can lead to a drop in search rankings, which means your site will receive less traffic.
Persistent technical problems, security issues, and outdated website design, structure or content all contribute to lowering your site’s search engine rankings.
How much does it cost to maintain a website?
Website maintenance costs can vary depending on the type of site.
Here are some examples of potential website maintenance costs for different types of site:
- A personal website will have low maintenance costs, typically $5 to $25 per month.
- Maintaining a small business website can cost up to $100 a month.
- A corporate website can have maintenance costs ranging from $200 to $3,500.
- Maintenance costs for an e-commerce site can vary from $1,500 to $2,500.
Here are a few website maintenance costs to keep in mind:
1. Domain name renewal
When you created your website, you bought a domain name, which is the address of your website.
For example, Google’s domain name is google.com.
You can pay for your domain name on a monthly or annual basis.
Domain names generally cost between $0.08 and $1 per month, or between $2 and $20 per year.
Although a domain name isn’t usually too expensive, it’s essential to keep up payments to avoid someone else buying your domain name.
2. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate
You also need to ensure that your website has an SSL certificate, which contributes to its security.
An SSL certificate enables your site to receive and transfer sensitive information securely.
Sites with an active SSL certificate have an HTTPS address, instead of HTTP, in their URL.
They also show a padlock image next to the URL in many browsers.
SSL padlock symbol in front of Google URL Sometimes you can get an SSL certificate for free if you use a hosting site, but usually you have to pay for an SSL certificate.
SSL certificates usually include features, such as higher encryption rates, that can be beneficial to businesses.
Their cost varies from $0.80 to $125 per month, or from $10 to $1,500 per year.
Be sure to make your SSL payments regularly to keep your certificate active and your site secure.
3. Website hosting
Website hosting is another website maintenance cost to consider.
You can host your website yourself or use a hosting provider.
When it comes to website hosting providers, you have several options.
With a shared host, your website shares a server with several other websites.
This is the cheapest option, costing between $24 and $120 a year.
Website builders like WordPress and Wix are user-friendly and cost between $60 and $180 a year.
If you choose a virtual private server (VPS), you always share a server with other sites.
However, the provider divides the server into several VPSs, giving your site a dedicated server space.
VPS servers cost between $240 and $600 per year.
With a dedicated server, you have full access to your own server.
This option costs between $1,200 and $24,000 per year.
What does website maintenance involve?
Here are some of the most important tasks in website maintenance:
- Test your entire website every year: Test your entire website at least once a year, and after any updates.
- Check that all functionalities are working, look for broken links and watch out for outdated or incorrect information.
Get someone not associated with your company to take a fresh look at your site’s usability. - Test browser compatibility: At least once a year, test whether your website works correctly in several versions of the main browsers.
- Test your forms and payment processes every quarter: At least once a quarter, check that all your forms and payment processes are working properly.
- Check for software updates every month: Check for software updates from your hosting provider, security provider and other third parties every month.
These updates help to keep your software running smoothly and safely. Better still, install patches as soon as they are released, if possible.
Backing up your website
Backing up your website can save you a lot of time and money in the event of a problem with your site. If you have an automatic backup function, check that it’s running every month.
If you don’t have an automatic backup, make a manual backup at least once a month.
Review key metrics weekly: Using tools such as Google Analytics, review your website’s performance at least once a week.
Check your key performance indicators (KPIs) and make sure your site is helping you achieve your goals.
If this isn’t the case, carry out updates and check whether they have improved your site’s performance the next time you review your key performance indicators.
This list of website maintenance services includes the most essential maintenance tasks, but it is not an exhaustive list of all the maintenance work you can perform.
You may choose to create a more extensive website maintenance plan, or work with a professional website maintenance company to achieve your goals.
