Undoubtedly, your website is the most important digital asset your company owns, but it’s often taken for granted. Did you know that 28% of businesses still don’t have a website?
What’s even worse is that so many of those businesses have websites that aren’t up to date and don’t have any type of website maintenance done, which is almost as bad as not having one at all. In a world dominated by tech giants, users have become accustomed to certain standards. Like it or not, you must live up to those to compete in today’s business world.
Fortunately, it’s easier than you think when you have the right support services. So let’s discuss what web maintenance services can do for your business!
Security
UserWebsite security is essential for proper functioning. Security includes malware detection, regularly updated servers, password security, security scans, and so much more. Without proper website security updates, criminals have open doors to receive sensitive data about your business, input malware like ransomware into your most valuable online asset, and attack your potential and existing clients.
If users receive malware from your website, this could come back to haunt you legally, reputationally, and financially. For that reason, keeping a site secure is one of the most important features of regular website maintenance.
User Experience
User experience (UX) is arguably the most essential aspect of your website. There are many ways to measure and gauge UX, but overall, you want to ensure that users are engaged and have a positive experience with your website.
Improving your UX will have a ripple effect on your SEO, conversion rates, positive brand recognition, and brand loyalty. To facilitate a high-quality UX, there are a few factors you will need.
Mobile-Friendly Design
Did you know that more than 54% of all website traffic comes from mobile devices? As a result, more businesses are adopting the “mobile-first” strategy for UX and SEO purposes. Especially for B2C companies, optimizing your website for mobile devices is essential rather than assuming your CMS will do it for you.
Desktop versions are still important, but most consumers use their smartphones and tablets more often than their computers. Without a clean navigation system and legible page structure, mobile users will not likely stay on your website for long.
Clean Navigation
A navigable website is essential for UX. Users need to be able to find whatever they’re looking for and not have to ask questions about it. If they can’t figure out how to find a specific product after looking at the first menu, then it’s unlikely they will ever find it.
Proper Server Functioning
Your web server affects your website’s security, page loading times, and more. So it’s an important aspect of maintaining your site’s accessibility, security, and credibility.
Also, it’s crucial to limit server or page errors, which is an important service offered for web maintenance services. If users constantly find 404 errors and redirects, they’ll find a different website. This can also hurt your SEO value without routine maintenance.
Web Design
User interface (UI) is an important aspect of UX. Your website is the perfect location to design and build a unique and identifiable brand, so why not use it?
With the right web design services, your website’s design can be both clean and usable. In addition, it will keep running smoothly with the right website maintenance services.
SEO
If you don’t know what search engine optimization (SEO) is, it’s the process of optimizing your website content to rank higher on search engines like Google. SEO is arguably the best driver of organic traffic, which is the traffic you don’t have to pay for or prompt. Organic traffic comes with plenty of benefits.
For one, it’s far more likely to trust your website content, as most users skip over search ads in favor of organic results. Starting out on an initial note of trust leads to higher conversion rates, building positive brand associations, more repeat business, and increased brand loyalty.
Second, most web traffic starts out using a search engine, and Google controls over 90% of all search engine rankings and traffic. So if you don’t have an SEO strategy, you’re missing out on a large piece of the marketing share.
Also, organic traffic is easier to engage and control than paid ads. Facebook and Google ads offer highly sophisticated algorithms for reaching your target market, but it’s not nearly as precise as reaching the traffic that is actively looking for your fresh content. Without SEO, you’re missing out on a large piece of the marketing puzzle.
So, how does search engine optimization relate to website maintenance? Let’s talk about that.
Important Website Factors
Improving your user experience is always a significant boon for your SEO. If it affects your UX, it affects your SEO efforts, but not always the other way around.
This is because Google and other search engines use software known as crawlers to crawl, index, and rank your site based on over 200 ranking factors. Their algorithm for ranking sites is based largely on the quality of your website. Therefore, from Google’s perspective, it would reflect negatively on their service as a search engine if they were regularly promoting sites with poor UX.
For this reason, improving your UX on its own will go a long way. While there are too many specific factors to name, some are more important than others. Most importantly, Google looks for:
- Fast page loading times
- Mobile-friendly design
- Easy to Navigate
- Linking structure
- Page structure
- Clear site hierarchy
These few examples will go a long way to improving your SEO traffic strategy. Improving your website’s speed and mobile-friendliness are the most important for UX and SEO. To understand how your pages are loading, use the PageSpeed Insights test and see if you could use site improvements.
Content Marketing Boost
Content marketing is one of the most important pillars of SEO, as it’s how Google matches users to your content. If you have a great website with five pages, how will you expect users to find you? Unless they search for your business name specifically, they won’t.
That’s why offering a blog, or another form of content marketing can help you stay up to date with SEO. However, it needs to be done with a strong website and proper keyword research. Otherwise, you’re building a house on a broken foundation.
With the right website maintenance services, you can maintain your website’s existing content and improve your site, leading to better search engine results. Once you have that robust website and existing content, you can continue benefiting from it for years. Just learn how to write blog posts that convert leads, and you could see a significant boost to your digital marketing strategy!
Improve Your Marketing Funnel
Do you have other assets that affect your entire digital marketing strategy at the same level as your website? Your website most likely plays a significant role in your social media, email, ad, and SEO efforts, and for good reason. You have the most control over your website, allowing you to establish a recognizable brand and lead users through your desired sales funnel.
Well, this is one of the key benefits of website maintenance services. A boost to your website is a boost to your entire digital marketing strategy. Businesses that invest more in their websites often see higher conversion rates and build more brand loyalty.
If your goal is to direct traffic to your website, then it’s essential not to lose traffic along your marketing funnel, which is all too common. When you pay per click on your ads, it’s easy to lose money if users leave before they arrive at the intended destination. Improving your website could immediately help your bottom line and reduce your dependence on expensive ad costs!
Website Maintenance Services Save Money
There are many other ways that the right website maintenance services can help save money beyond just improving your ad campaigns. Here are some of the most important examples.
Avoiding Costly Disasters
Security issues and major repairs on your websites can cost thousands of dollars, so avoiding these is the key. The average cyber attack costs $1.4 million, and websites are one of the cybercriminals’ most common entry points. Did you know that most small businesses fail within six months after one attack?
Unfortunately, your website is one of the most vulnerable assets you have. Even without access to your network, attackers can easily hold your website for ransom by gaining passwords, social engineering, or direct hacks.
Predictable Expenses
If there is a costly disaster like a cyber attack or if you need a major website renovation, these maintenance costs can quickly add up. However, with professional website maintenance, you’ll only pay a small monthly fee while keeping your website up to date. In the long run, this is much more sustainable than an unexpected $10,000 or $100,000 expense.
You can choose a website maintenance plan based on your website’s needs, meaning you won’t have to pay one large sum every month. Instead, you can invest as much or as little as you want on a website maintenance plan, depending on your needed services!
Using Your Preferred CMS
If you use an existing content management system (CMS) like a WordPress website, you can hire WordPress website maintenance services to allow for easy access to your site.
You and your team can continue uploading new content and making adjustments as needed while the maintenance team professionals handle all of the rest. In addition, this will directly save you money, as you won’t need to purchase any additional website software or subscriptions.
How to Find the Right Website Maintenance Services
Now that you know some of the benefits of routine website maintenance services, let’s discuss choosing the right maintenance team for your needs. Here’s how to start.
Understand the Services That Your Website Needs
First, deciding which website maintenance services you’ll require for the results you want is essential. If you want to build a more secure website, improve your SEO value, or keep everything running smoothly, ensure that they offer the maintenance service you need before reaching out.
This information should be available on the maintenance company provider’s website.
Past Experience
We recommend reading online reviews and testimonials, but pay little attention unless there’s context. A one-star or five-star rating is meaningless without an explanation. Whether negative or positive, a blank rating could be for something that has no relevance to you.
Read through these reviews and see what previous customers say about these services. Also, remember to check on different platforms, considering that the website admin will have control over what is shown.
References
If you have any remaining questions, another great way to judge customer satisfaction is by asking for references. Especially if they have experience with your industry, it would be great to speak to similar business owners and ask about their satisfaction with these services.
Even if there are online reviews available, it still helps to control the questions you want answers to. If you’re choosing between services, feel free to ask for references!
Website Maintenance Cost
Lastly, reach out and ask about the pricing of website maintenance packages. If it’s something you can afford, go right ahead! As you can see, website maintenance services have plenty of important benefits.
Don’t be afraid to take on a steady, predictable expense for something so critical because you get what you pay for.
Stay On Top
Now that you know what the right website maintenance services can do for your bottom line, why wait? The sooner you get started, the sooner you can improve your website’s performance, UX, SEO strategy, security, and much more. So find the best website maintenance services for your needs and get started right away!
Stay regularly updated with our latest website tips, and feel free to contact us with any questions or help with your website maintenance needs!
