Maintaining Your Website
By Gavin Kilgallon on Tuesday, 31 December 2024
Creating a new website can be time-consuming and stressful, so it is easy to forget about your website once it has been launched with the need to focus on other areas of your business. Some websites require few updates, whilst others constantly need to evolve. As London's best web design agency, ID Studio will discuss why it is essential to keep your website up-to-date, the different strategies available and the benefits they can bring.
Why Regular Updates And Maintenance Matter
We often chat with our clients about the importance of actively maintaining their websites, and we are frequently told there is little need as what they do does not change, and the content is still relevant. This is a valid point, but there are additional reasons that should be taken into consideration. Below, we will outline some of these reasons:
Content Can Date Overtime
Often, the main reason someone visits your website is for information purposes. This could be to check your contact details or find out if you offer a particular product or service. Reviewing website content over time is essential, as well as ensuring that you are showing the latest information and removing content that is no longer relevant or outdated.
Content should also be reviewed for search engine effectiveness, ensuring it targets relevant keywords that will yield the best results. Certain types of websites are more prone to frequently changing content, including:
- News websites.
- Blogging sites.
- eCommerce websites with new product listings, seasonal content, etc.
- Community websites with new topics and the need for moderating inappropriate content.
- Real estate.
- Financial markets sites.
Plugin And Theme Updates
This is especially true for websites built with WordPress, as they often use various plugins and themes. Some of the reasons why you need to update plugins and themes include the following:
Security Updates
Sometimes, plugins contain design flaws, allowing for potential vulnerabilities and exploitation. Installing these updates can help protect your website from known security flaws, making it less susceptible to security-related issues. It is also essential to complete updates to the core WordPress platform.
ID Studio has written a separate article outlining why a support and maintenance agreement is essential for WordPress websites.
New Features & Technologies
The internet is constantly evolving, with new and improved updates coming out daily. Some of these features could be incorporated to improve the performance of your website. A good example could be the introduction of AI into live chat, which can offer enhanced support for your users when your team are offline.
Regular Maintenance Options
There are several maintenance options available for businesses. Options will depend upon budgets, resources, internal technical experience, time and website type.
Content Management System
An in-house team can update your website using a CMS like WordPress, Kentico, Umbraco, or ProcessWire. A CMS is great for text, image and day-to-day content updates that will keep your websites fresh and relevant. Read this article to help you choose the right CMS for your website.
Maintenance Agreement
ID Studio has a separate article covering what you should look for in a support and maintenance agreement.
In general, a support and maintenance agreement will cover a set number of hours that can be used towards include activities such as:
- Maintenance of the CMS and plugins.
- Design and code-based updates for your website.
- Security-related updates.
- Offering general support, advice and recommendations for the future direction of the website.
Summary
Investing in regular website maintenance is essential to ensure optimal performance, security, and up-to-date engaging content. Businesses can effectively address routine updates and more complex technical needs by selecting the right approach, whether through in-house management or a maintenance agreement with ID Studio.
To discuss your website requirements, schedule a meeting with our team to see how we can help keep your website performing.
