So, you’ve built your company a website. Now you just have to sit back and let it work its magic – right? Not quite.
Websites need constant monitoring, nurturing, and development. Basically, your site is the equivalent of a technological child. To set that kid up for success (and to keep your target audience engaged), you need to go far beyond the initial web build.
Here are some of the most important maintenance essentials your business website needs.
6 Website Maintenance Essentials
1. SEO
Search engines like Google, Bing, and so on use algorithms to rank websites that are continually changing and evolving to better serve the consumer. Staying on top of search engine optimization (SEO) is vital for the success of your website, because it:
- Helps you rank higher on search results
- Increases traffic to your website
- Boosts your credibility on the web
- Gives you long-term results
2. User Experience
Best practices for enhanced user experience are continually changing in our fast-paced technological world. When users come to your site, you want the experience to be easy, interactive, and seamless. Can users find information without hunting for it? Are there visuals that make the site dynamic and interesting? Do pages load quickly? Is the website ADA-compliant? Your company needs to consider all of these factors from a user’s point of view to ensure a positive experience.
3. Security
From data breaches to ransomware to malware, there are many security threats that can leave your website with unexpected (and costly) downtime. As technology evolves, unfortunately so do these types of malicious threats. Routine system updates can help prevent cyberattacks by finding and fixing potential holes in the security of your site.
4. Daily Backups
Daily site backups are also an extremely important part of website maintenance. In the event of a crash, recent backups allow you to restore it ASAP with all of your content, forms, important information, and any changes you’ve made over time still intact.
5. Analytics
To better serve your audience, it’s vital to review your website analytics regularly to see how they’re using your site and where you can make improvements. Demographics, referrals, most viewed content, results on paid search campaign efforts, pages they interact with – these are all basic user experiences you can use to improve your site and hone your marketing strategy.
6. Fresh Content
When done right, content marketing helps share your story, improve SEO results, position your site as a valuable resource, and convert prospects into customers. This makes creating fresh content essential to the long-term health of your website. When visitors come to your site, make sure their questions are answered quickly and succinctly to help position your business as a go-to resource.
We’ve Got Your Back
Need help navigating the vast world of website upkeep and improvement? Find a team of professionals to have your back. At Stray Media Group, we design websites, offer website maintenance plans, and provide SEO services to fit your needs and marketing budget. Give us a call to learn more about how we can help you improve your website today.
