The Benefits Of Having A Website Maintenance Plan
What are the benefits of having a website maintenance plan? While some people might think that is it a luxury expense their business cannot afford, everyone who works in website design understands that the building of a successful site is just the beginning; just like with a car you need regular maintenance and checkups to make sure it is running as smoothly as possible.
It is never truly complete
A website is something that is never truly complete. You might think, “Hey as a website design company of course you are going to say that.” We are saying it because it is true. There are a lot of things that regularly happen over a year, much like with a car, that should be looked at and review. After all, you probably spent a lot of money on your website; you should also be maintaining that investment.
There are a host of things from content to malware to browser upgrades and even links that need to be up to date if you want to get the most out of your investment. Unless you have your own IT department that includes experienced webmasters and coders, a website maintenance plan is a good alternative.
Key Benefits of a Website Maintenance Plan
- Better User Experience – Sales leads don’t appear out of thin air, they are created with hard work. Improving your user experience and sales lead conversion can and should be done regularly. In some cases your initial launch was perfect but down the road a browser update or installation of a plugin might have put a kink in the process. Or it could even be that something was not accounted for in the initial planning phase that needs to be added in now for better performance.
- Security Updates – Security is incredibly important because thousands of websites are hacked each day. In many cases this is done just for the challenge of doing it versus specific targeting which means all businesses are at risk for this type of behavior. The response is ensuring your website and servers are updated and current with the best software and security out there. Many times it is software updates that have holes in them which can be exploited unless you have someone who knows which updates to use and how to close holes when they do appear.
- Cost Savings – Small problems and issues can be ignored but over time they add up. The end result can be in a steady loss of business or down time while you have to stop and fix the entire thing. It is like not changing your oil for a year because of the time and small amount of cost and then not having a car for a week while the engine gets repaired because of that lack of maintenance. Web maintenance checks on that code, reviews your tags, provides browser support and upgrades and does proactive website bug fixes, all to help keep your site running smoothly and helping you make money consistently without long downtimes.
Elements of a Good Plan
A good web maintenance plan you have at a minimum the following services:
- Website and Server Security Updates
- Website Maintenance and Support including Browser Upgrades
- Proactive Website Bug Fixing
- Website Coding
- Marketing Strategy Consulting
- Creative Design
- Sales lead Conversion Improvement
While there are more items that are useful and helpful, these are the core items any plan should have to be considered a worthwhile expense.
The bottom line is that web maintenance, much like car maintenance, is necessary to keep things in good working order, safe, and running efficiently. The benefits of having a website maintenance plan often outweigh the costs by a wide margin because potential money lost from problems or a drive belt breaking affects both your business image and profit margin.
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